Spin The Bottle
by dave-d
Summary: The shinobi had been working very hard. They had faced fierce trials, and could all use some time away from work. Jiraiya had a good idea. That alone should have made Tsunade suspicious. What awaits Naruto and the gang?
1. Chapter 1

The hunched figure perched on the eaves atop Kohona's tallest structure.

Bent over like that, the shaggy shape might have looked like a disheveled gargoyle, had anyone caught sight of him. Chuckling, he took the telescope down from his eye and sat up straighter, running a hand through his bushy mane.

"Good," Jiraiya said, having caught sight of Shikamaru. The perturbed looking shinobi was walking away from the Administrative building, a message tube clutched in his hand.

The Sannin new exactly what was in that mission container, and what had originally been there in its place. He had good reason for that, having removed the latter and substituted the former. It was ultimately Tsunade's fault, since his old teammate should have questioned his coming up with a good idea in the first place.

"I think _this_ will do them all the more good," the hairy old reprobate said, rubbing his hands together. "And if it gives me something to write about in the next book… well… all the better…"

When he had earlier slumped down into one of the Hokage's chairs, causing the other Sannin to give him an irritated look when she dragged her eyes away from the stack of reports piled in front of her, the Frog Hermit had remarked on how serious things had been, what with the Akatsuki business and all. In his brash way, he suggested that Tsunade write up a different type of mission order, while the village was in a calm period between troubles and catastrophes. A group picnic… a camping trip for the younger shinobi… _anything_, as long as it gave them a chance to bond outside of training and battle.

"This is a bit too stuffy, I think…" He took out Tsunades original order, the one he used to forge her signature perfectly. She had indeed assigned Naruto and the others to a series of small huts in the mountains, listing a number of suggested activities in a starched and folded fashion. Essentially, she was telling them to let 'teenagers be teenagers,' but in a rather strict and authoritarian manner. His parchment did the same thing, but in a much simpler manner.

Pigeons took to the wing when the Frog hermit laughed out loud. He was rather pleased with his idea, the way that he had chosen for the group of young ninjas to get away from the stress and strain of their life as defenders of the village. The fact that Tsunade would be royally pissed when she found out what had happened did nothing to wipe away his good humor. Jiraiya, philanthropist! People often failed to realize just how kind and selfless he was.

"It's time to head on my way." He had a carefully chosen place picked out. One with the ideal peep hole. He simply needed to reach the destination before the others did.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"This is so bothersome." Shikamaru sighed. His topknot bounced as he walked, and a frown looked like a permanent part of his face.

Up ahead, a group of workers waited their turn to get inside the popular little restaurant. Inside, no doubt, the last remaining ninja on the chuunin's duty roster would be eating his lunch. He would not be happy to be pulled away from that.

"**Ramen-chan!" **Naruto smiled, banging his utensils against the counter top.. "I can't wait…" He looked around the room and scowled. "Hey… old man… where is Ayame…"

"Gone on another trip," the proprietor answered, looking even more disgruntled than the boy who had just entered the shop. "An all I could find to help me this time were the same two idiots…"

Right on cue, Nishi and Matsu tried to walk through the same door at the same time. The bowls and trays they carried crashed to the floor. That had Naruto leaping to his feet and pointing at the shop owner. "Why did you bring _those_ two back again…" He though back to a day months past, when Kakashi and Yamato had brought him here to eat, after he lay starving from his Wind Jutsu training.

"Don't be causing some kind of scene, Naruto." Shikamaru made his way to his friend's side. "As ninjas, our behavior is a reflection on the village." He sighed. "besides… orders from the Hokage… we're all supposed to meet now…"

"But… _now?" _Naruto's huge grimace had him closing his eyes. "Can't it wait a bit…" He put a hand on his belly. "Brown pork bone miso Ramen…"

"Now," Shikamaru affirmed. "The others are all waiting by the big tree in the Commons. Let's not drag this thing out any longer than we have to. Things are troublesome enough as it is."

"OK… OK…" Naruto sighed. He then swallowed hard and pressed his knees together. "_After_ I use the bathroom…"

The clone he sent out from the restroom facilities did a sufficient job of fooling Shikamaru. As the two left, the real Naruto sat down at his seat and gladly accepted a bowl of his favorite food.

"Thank you old man! I'm eating now…" Naruto grinned a huge grin, bringing a huge clump of broth-bathed noodles to his mouth. This wouldn't take too long. The others could wait. There was no way he could miss out on this!

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The genin and lone jounin waited by a stately old tree, one that predated the building of Hidden Leaf Village.

For the most part, they waited with good graces, well aware of the behavior of the one missing shinobi, the sole genin amongst them. Sakura began getting somewhat huffy, however, fed up enough with the way that Kakashi habitually showed up late. She didn't want to see their team leader's behavior rub off on Naruto.

"Does getting angry make things better?" Sai was not being a wise-ass. He truly did his best to learn about his fellow villagers these days, particularly on the subject of inter-personal relations.

"No… I guess not…" Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. Looking over at her newest teammate, she wondered what he was working so diligently at. His pen was practically flying across his sketch pad. "Can I see?"

"Yes," Sai replied, unaware that others were leaning closer to get a peak too. He held the book up, showing a picture he was drawing: it was one of himself and the tree, surrounded by the other ninjas.

"What else is there?" Sakura flipped that page over without permission. She frowned, while the others laughed or politely hid smiles. It was a picture of Sakura wringing Naruto by the neck. Whatever she might have said to him then was erased by Naruto's arrival.

"Glad you could finally join us," Kiba said in his offhand manner. Just the same, he smiled. If Hinata and Shino hadn't stood around waiting for him earlier, he would have showed up somewhat late himself. He smirked when Akamaru barked his own commentary.

"Me too!" Naruto was as exuberant as ever. If there was anything present in an amount greater than his chakra, it was his reservoir of spunk and good spirits. At times that was infectious. At other times, it just seemed to wear people out. "But not as glad as I was to eat those bowls of noodles!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata rubbed her fingers together, hoping that no one had heard her.

"I wish I had stayed for more lunch," Choji said, feeling somewhat jealous at the moment. No longer able to resist, he opened one of the snack bags he had brought with him. Ino had rousted him out of his home, just as she had would have done to Shikamaru, had he not been the one the Hokage called to her office.

"So… you think it's alright… keeping other people waiting?" Sakura put her hands on her hips. For the most part, her treatment of Naruto had improved over the last few months. In fact, after the whole episode with Orochimaru and her four-tailed teammate had started her wondering just how she felt about him. "At least you didn't give some lame excuse like Kakashi does!" She felt her anger growing, since Naruto didn't even look the slightest bit mournful or contrite.

"It's no big deal, Sakura-chan." Naruto shrugged, and headed over to see why everyone was looking at Sai's drawing pad.

"She's really bossy, isn't she?" Ino spoke behind her hand to Ten Ten, but could easily be heard everyone there. She hid a smile, catching the look on Sakura's face.

"It could be that time of the month," Sai commented with a large smile and a somewhat flat affect. "Some of the jounin tried to explain that to me, after I remarked on that kind of behavior before."

"_What!" _The 'Inner Sakura' poised to go ballistic, Sakura focused her attention on Sai instead of Naruto.

"It's going to be a long trip," Shikamaru said, twisting his mouth into a trademark scowl.

"It might seem even longer, if we have to carry the wounded," Shino added dryly, looking over at Sakura berating both Sai and Naruto.

"**_Ohhhhh-hhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…" Lee struck a pose. "I will do whatever is necessary to help my friends. The burning heart of Konoha will allow nothing less." He would gladly carry Naruto or Sai on his back, if called on to do so. "But, I am certain that Sakura will do whatever is right!" He looked over at the pink-haired girl, a poorly disguised look of longing on his face.

"As long as no one brings up the subject of nicknames again," Neji stated. He had been discrete, making certain that neither Sakura nor Sai would overhear. However, he had said things loudly enough to carry back to Kiba.

"Hey… Sai…" Kiba looked over at the newest member of their tight-knit little ensemble. He still didn't know what to make of the Root member and his unusual personality. "Did you come up with any new nicknames?"

"Uh oh." Ten Ten blinked repeatedly. She remembered what had happened once before. Sai might be the only boy more clueless than Lee and Naruto.

"Yes," Sai answered, ignoring the look on Sakura's face. He also didn't notice how Naruto took a step away from their female team member. "I believe that I have…"

During one stretch of time away from missions, the young ANBU member had wanted to work on his personality and relationship skill, and took to s by reading up on the subject at the Konoha library.

One of the first topics he had perused dealt with gaining people's trust. As one might expect from someone who learned to communicate with others via a book, Sai repeatedly had trouble problems putting what he read into practice. Giving his new companions nicknames had seemed an ideal way of fitting in. But, he had initially called Sakura 'Hag,' and earned an even more severe beating when he later changed his approach and called Ino 'Gorgeous' by comparison, having learned from his earlier mistake.

"I'm gorgeous," Ino said, fluttering her eyelids and smiling at Sai. Her nostrils flared when she saw that Shikamaru wasn't paying attention.

"And Sakura was 'H-…' _owwww-www-ww-w_…" Naruto doubled over after taking a fierce elbow to the gut from Sakura.

"You would be 'Cute One'," Sai said to Ten Ten, which set her to blushing. He had taken the approach of being complimentary to women. With Guys, however, he still had a tendency to speak whatever came to mind. "You would be 'Serious Expert'." That last was directed towards Neji. "Hmmm… yes…" He looked Lee up and down, trying to decide what stood out more, the wide eyes; the bushy brows; or the green stretchy suit. "You would be 'Pickle'."

"_Gorph!" _Kiba almost swallowed his tongue, hearing that. He began laughing loudly as soon as he regained his breath. He laughed even harder, seeing the look on Rock Kee's face. Akamaru howled.

"I can see that," Shino remarked, nodding his head.

"You would be 'Creepy'," Sai said to Shino. That had the cowled ninja going stiff. "You would be 'Good Dog'," he said to Akamaru. He scratched his head a moment, and then smiled one of those eerie smiles of his as he addressed Kiba. "You would be the 'Bad Dog'." That erased Kiba's smile for a moment, until he supposed it might be cool to be known as the Bad Dog. "You…" The Root ninja cocked his head, looking at Hinata.

"Ummm…" Hinata looked away. She did not want to be the center of attention. Especially not with Naruto watching.

"You could be 'Finger Rubber'," Sai nodded his head, watching Hinata's hand. "Maybe 'Shy Cute One'." He remembered to be complementary. Then, he smiled. "Or, 'The Watcher'." He had picked up on another of her habits, even if Naruto never had.

"Huh?" Naruto scrunched up his face. "Watcher? Why?"

"It is because _mrphlbrfllgrbl_…" Sakura had clamped her hand of his mouth a moment before speeding Ino or Ten Ten could.

"Just butt out, Naruto." Sakura let go her grip. "Don't interrupt Sai until he's done."

"Yes. Please. Things have been delayed more than enough." Shikamaru took a moment to look up at the clouds floating overhead.

"You would be 'Scarecrow'," Sai said to Shikamaru, causing the sour hangdog look on his face to get even more dyspeptic looking. "And you… you would be "F-…' _grblmrplbrgl_…" This time it was Naruto who stopped Sai." Just like once before, the socially inept boy had been about to call Choji 'Fatso', 'Fatass', or something along those lines. Luckily, Sai changed tack. "How about 'Happy Eater'?"

"Alright." Choji held out an open bag to Sai. "Want some?" Choji didn't mind that monicker. He was just glad to be included in the group discussion.

"What about Naruto?" Shino felt somewhat sour himself. His own nickname had not sat well with him.

"Ahhh… Naruto…" Sai's smile grew to gargantuan proportions. This time, he would not be observant. And, he would not be attempting to cause an opponent to lose balance. Instead, he would be making a joke. That was another big step for him, even if it came at the expense of another. "I call him 'Small Penis'."

"**Sai!" **Naruto clenched his fists, and held to be held back by Sakura, who clouted him hard on the top of his head. Letting him go, she walked over and kicked Sai hard in the shin. He ought to know better than that!

"Perhaps it is not so bad being creepy," Shino said in a deadpan voice. He felt the urge to put his fingers in his ears, hearing how loud Kiba laughed and Akamaru yelped.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata teetered a bit on her feet, looking a bit cross-eyed.

"**_Ahhhhh-hhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…" Lee's eyes looked like they caught fire, when he hurried to defend his friend. "You need not feel bad, Naruto… it is the size of a man's heart that matters, not the size of…"

"**I DON"T HAVE A SMALL DICK!" **Naruto's shout carried across the entire open part of the village. Women leaning out their window turned to look in his direction. Children stopped in the middle of their play. Passing Elders frowned at him, muttering quietly amongst themselves. "Hey… that's enough nicknames…" He tried to salvage a small bit of his pride. "Let's get going…" He began marching off.

"Idiot." Sakura sighed and hung her head. That Naruto! At times, she was so proud to have him as her teammate. However, at others, she felt compelled to walk around town with a sack over her head.

"It would help to know where we are going first," Ino said, commiserating with Sakura. Hearing those words, everyone turned to look at Shikamaru.

"We have a long walk ahead of us," Shikamaru said. He took the message tube out of his chuunin vest and held it up. "I know where we're going, but not why. This is to remained sealed until we reach our destination and get set up."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The progression made its way up a series of steep and narrow paths. It was a long hard route, one that had been the bane of enemy forces in the past.

During ancient wars, the mist-shrouded hill had been a strategic look-out point, a place where the ordering of armies could be spied upon and the leaders of the battle could find safe refuge. When ninjas supplanted soldiers as the main combatants, the secluded location had seen some use as a training site, before its remote location made it impractical,

"Are we there yet?" Naruto asked that for the umpteenth time, causing Shikamaru to look away and mumble.

"What are _you_ complaining for, Naruto?" Sakura was particularly cross. The long hike was wearing on her. She didn't mind the exertion. It was not knowing the mission that had her bothered. She had a bad feeling about this. "We all have to carry our own load!"

"Not Sai!" Naruto gave Sai a 'V' sign. His friend kept sketching porters and pack animals. All of which helped carry the large number of supplies they had been instructed to bring with them. Likewise, he himself made use of his prodigious chakra stores. Hefting a few satchels, he was nonetheless better off than his sore-footed comrades. Smiling, he watched as a number of his shadow clones passed along their burdens to their more recent brethren before popping out of existence.

"It's alright when Sai does it," Ino put in. The boy fascinated her , and not simply as a way to try and get her teammate's attention.

"They're _both_ lazy bastards," Kiba grumped. That drew a strange noise from Akanamaru, who was attacked with a tremendous number of bundles. "What?" Kiba caught everyone looking his way. "Akamaru isn't carrying my stuff… he's carrying our stuff…" It was hard to tell if 'our' meant everyone, or just the boy and the dog.

"**_Oooooo-oooo-ooo-oo-oh_**…" Lee looked like a walking baggage cart. He was barely visible underneath his load of backpacks, carry bags, and roped-crates. "I… I can still carry more…" He looked over at Sakura. "The burning fire of youth will propel us to the greatest heights, whatever burdens we are given." he paused, gathering up his courage. "I can carry some of your bags, Sakura-chan."

That had Neji and Ten Ten looking at one another and sighing. That was just like Lee. If Gai had been there, he would have been very proud. Not that his protégé really needed encouragement in such behavior.

"I have a new nickname for you," Sai said suddenly. "I do not think 'Pickle' fits any more." Sure enough, it was hard to see Lee's infamous green outfit. Stopping to take a breather, Lee smiled, expecting some kind of heroic monicker. "Hmmm… how about 'The Porter'… or… 'Pack Mule'…"

Naruto started laughing, pointing at Lee. He hunched over grimacing, his eyes closed in pain, after Sakura clouted him with a sack filled with long metallic poles. "Why are you hitting _me? _Sai's the one who said it!"

"We're getting close now," Shikamaru said, checking his bearings. His statement aborted the nascent squabble before it grew wings. "We should make it to the summit within the hour."

Sure enough, the band of ninjas walked out of the mountain forests and onto a hilly plateau just when the titular group leader said they would. Setting their burdens down, they all surveyed the area.

"The buildings look very old," Hinata remarked, eyeing a large number of huts. Most of the edifices took that form, while a few larger buildings were scattered hither and yon. "But the view… it's very beautiful…" She sneaked a look over at Naruto.

"The vegetation seems quite different, too." Naturally, that was Shino. New plants potentially meant new insect species feeding on them. He didn't seem concerned about what the mission might be.

"Alright. We're here. Let's find out what the assignment is." Kiba set down a number of the items he had been carrying. Pulling a rope to undo a knot, he caused a large number of boxes and bags to fall off of his canine friend.

"That's right!" Naruto stood with his hands on his hips, looking eager to go despite the arduous journey. Big stores of stamina can go a long way!

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…" Lee struck one of his poses, before realizing he was still over burdened. Losing his balance, he toppled over with a loud clash. Neji moved to lend a hand.

"Boys." Ten Ten looked over at Ino and Sakura.

"Tell me about it." Ino looked over at her own teammates, glad that neither of them had caused a scene. Out of habit, she scrutinized Choji, secretly wondering if her rotund companion had lightened the load during the trip by eating the camping supplies.

"I… I would like to know what the mission is, too…" Hinata said that very quietly, hoping to show as much spirit as Naruto did.

"Everyone select one of the better kept huts." Shikamaru waved his arm in an authoritarian fashion. The buildings were in remarkable shape considering their age, and the fact that groups of monks rarely made their way here to perform repairs. "Put your personal belongings inside, and bring the group supplies to the nearest large structure." he nodded towards one of the taller and longer buildings. "Meet me back here in twenty minuets and I will open the missive."

Everyone did as they were told, with a minimum of mischief and trouble. When the group was seated in a semicircle around a standing Shikamaru, the latter undid the seal on the small metal tube and extracted the message placed inside.

"Now to the particulars." Shikamaru had read through paragraphs that Jiraiya had left intact, done in the Hokage's own hand. She had stated that they had all worked hard, and done the village proud. They were a credit to their families and their generation. But, so much hard work, and so much time spent training and on missions, meant that they didn't have the time to socialize that their civilian counterparts did. This assignment was intended to help rectify that situation.

"You should have skipped to that in the first place," Kiba said.

"He probably likes to hear himself talk," Naruto said with a big smile, giving Shikamaru a playful salute. His friend was acting way too seriously again, and needed to loosen up!

"Look who's talking!" Sakura made one of 'those' faces.

"If I may." Shikamaru looked very stern, standing there. Then, he slumped. All the nonsense was wearing thin!

"Go ahead." Ino supported her friend. She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll use _Shintenshin no Jutsu, _if someone can't stay quiet."

"I'll sit on them" Choji's threat had far more impact than that of his blue-eyed teammate.

"Thank you," Shikamaru drawled. He unrolled the message further, and found himself unable to speak, as if someone had used his own _Kage Shibari no Jutsu _against him. "That…"

"What is it?" Ino looked on her teammate with concern. Just what was the mission? After the initial preamble, it sounded as if they were going to be given a vacation of sorts.

"Shikamaru?" Choji put down his bag of snacks.

"It says here…" Shikamaru had to clear his throat. He reread the passage a number of times, to make sure he hadn't been mistaken. He had not. He had been through many bothersome situations lately, but this threatened to top them all. "It says that we all have to play Spin The Bottle."

Concealed behind one of the thick patches of scraggly vegetation, Jiraiya smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

The silence stretched on for seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Some of the listeners looked shocked. Others chuckled, thinking their fellow ninja was only joking. One in particular smiled, seeing all sorts of possibilities.

The sounds of insect life were suddenly very loud, before going silent altogether. Had the shin obi been as vigilant as they should be, that in itself might have provided some semblance of warning.

"_Holochlora konohica," _Shino remarked, his head cocked. Identification of the singing Orthoptera seemed of more interest than any foolish game. "Konoha's Broadwinged Katydid." He began scanning the surrounding area. "Family _Tettigoniidae_. SubOrder _Ensifera_We should be vigilant."

The others had grown used to the cowled and bespectacled boys ramblings on insect life. That allowed them to ignore his request and respond in the expected fashion. As the bush crickets stilled their music legs, the youths exploded with questions, seemingly at the same time.

"Wh-Wh-What did you say?" Ino stood straighter, fighting the urge to push the hair away from her face. She looked at Shikamaru with a look of surprise at first, and then one of nascent calculation.

"Funny joke," Sakura said, making a face. "How bothersome." Her choice of words had Ino smiling in natural reaction, before changing her grin to a scowl.

"I hope it's _not _a joke," Kiba said, smiling a wicked smile. "Even if it is… it's not a bad idea, you know…"

"Oh…" Choji had squeezed one bag too hard, just as snot threatened to fountain from his nostrils. He pictured himself locking lips with Ino. "Pork-flavored… my favorite…"

"Spin the Bottle?" Lee looked perplexed, his bushy eyebrows wriggling and his eyes impossibly wide. "Is that a chakra control technique." He sighed. He was adept only at Taijutsu. Everyone knew that.

"**Ha!" **Naruto pointed at Lee, his other hand on his hip. "You don't know what it is." His teeth showed. His eyes narrowed to slits as he bobbed his head. "Everyone _else _does!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata lowered her eyes and examined the tips of her sandals. She knew the term, having heard about it from Hanabi of all people.

"Really?" Sai smiled that mysterious smile of his. Not yet adept as interpersonal relations, he had begun to understand his teammate's blustering and the various reasons behind it. "Then _you_ can explain it to me."

"**That's right!" **Sakura gave Naruto a haughty and disapproving look. She knew him better than anyone else there. "Go ahead Naruto. Go _right _ahead." She almost broke out in giggles when Sai drew a quick sketch of a slack-jawed and drooling Naruto.

"Hey… what's that…" The picture served as the distraction Naruto needed. He began tussling with Sai as Sakura fought to restrain him.

"We have company," Shino said loudly, miffed that he had to raise his voice that much.

"Everyone spread out!" Shikamru looked very serious. While life as a ninja was a tedious chore to a boy who preferred to contemplate sky and clouds, he was all business when the situation required it. "Don't give them any more advantage than they already have."

Teenagers in look and demeanor, the shinobi were nonetheless skilled and experienced warriors, a number of whom had been placed in situation in the past that would have been daunting to much older adults. There may be an enemy looking for them. They might very well wish they never had found them.

Neji and Hinata immediately rushed in opposite directions, using their Byakugan in swift succession. Kiba sent Akamaru running as an advanced scout. The others took up placements that would best serve the party, with Sakura holding back as medical ninja.

The newcomers were not foes. But, while they were arriving in friendly territory, it never paid to take chances. Not only that… this would serve as yet another chance to evaluate the ability and reactions of their subordinates. Four shapes flashed into view, blurs to the eyes.

An illusion of a great tree forming behind her, Hinata felt the cold back of a blade against the side of her neck. But, she was not tense or afraid. She had identified the arrivals quickly, and had reacted just in case she was wrong. Her own blade was pressed against the belly of her erstwhile attacker.

"Very good, Hinata." Kurenai nodded her head. She was very pleased at her teammate's response.

Shizune had used the needle launchers strapped to her arm. The projectiles were loaded with an anesthetic agent this time, just in case her target could not react quickly enough. She smiled, seeing the metal slivers fall harmlessly from a number of moving ink shapes that Sai had created.

"Should I give this one a name, too?" Sai asked Sakura. He shrugged when she turned her head away and harrumphed.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…" Lee moved at his best speed, at the least the greatest speed he could reach without opening any of the eight chakra gates. Around him, a veritable storm of shuriken and sickles flew with remarkable accuracy, courtesy of Ten Ten. Not far away, Neji prepared to put his own considerable talents to use.

"Form up!" Shikamaru had called out before recognizing any of the jounin. He began sending out his shadows, while Choji wrapped himself with a string of kunai, ready to form a spiked meat tank if necessary. Kiba and Akamaru stood idly by, the dog having transmitted the identities a mere heartbeat before the incursion. He smiled at the look his jaunty stance drew from Ino as she prepared her own attack.

The attacks of the chuunin and lone male jounin were a credit to their training. Against a lesser adversary, those strikes would have had a devastating effect. However, these were no mere commonplace shinobi they faced. Indeed, the newest arrivals were amongst the cream that the Fire Country had to offer.

Violet hair streaming out beyond her simple animal mask, Uzuki Yugao dodged all of the first wave of attacks. With focused intent, she returned those blows, knowing that she fought against friends and fellow villagers, certain that she wouldn't do any serious injury. Each strike of her long sharp blade slice free a small tuft of hair or notched a corner of apparel.

"**N-A-R-U-T-O-!" **Sakura shouted, moving forward a step when she should stay back. As the only healer, her skills were too valuable to risk. The big idiot was just standing there in the open, as if he thought he was tough enough to take any force on single-handedly.

"It's good strategy to attack the weakest first, to get the numbers down whenever possible." Mitarashi Anko had a condescending look, holding a dagger to the back of Naruto's head. "Stupidity is one of the greatest weaknesses."

"Heh heh heh." Naruto grinned a shit-eating grin. Everyone in the area had their eyes glued on him now. Hinata twiddled her fingers incredibly fast.

"What are you smiling for, Naruto?" Shikamaru looked cross. He couldn't believe that such a foolish and impetuous ninja could have managed to harness wind-based chakra talents. "You are always so troublesome in that way." How could defeat be amusing, whatever the situation. It should either be something to regret, something to learn from, or something to be ignored altogether.

"**One Thousand Years of Pain!" **A figure burst out of the ground just behind a startled Anko, just as the clone she held prisoner popped from existence. Still carrying the shame of Kakashi's attack during the first bell test, and subconsciously thinking back to his dramatic conflict with Gaara, Naruto combined the _Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu no Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi_ with a trick he had used to take down Neji at the chuunin exams.

Plainly put, it was a very simple jutsu with a very over-dramatized name. Naruto forcefully plunged his index fingers into his opponent's rectum, this time without an explosive seal.

"He's still an idiot," Ino said, hanging her head. Just the same, she grinned. It was hard not to, with Naruto. And, she was not particularly fond of Anko.

"But for a different reason," Choji answered quickly, wanting Ino to hear him agreeing with her.

"He doesn't ever _need_ a reason," Sakura remarked, relieved despite her annoyed tone of voice.

Anko was thrown forward, jumping further still, and then landing in a feral crouch. The look on her face had everyone swallowing hard. Everyone except Naruto, who was turned the other way, thumbing himself on the chest, a victorious smirk highlighting his face.

"**Yeh!" **Naruto crowed. "Thought you had me! I'm not some stupid jerk!" He exchanged thumbs up gestures with an impressed-looking Lee.

"You were saying…" That was Anko's voice. It was quiet and almost conversational in its pitch and life. No sane person would _ever_ try that kind of trick on her.

"Huh?" Naruto turned very slowly, the hairs on the back of his nape standing on end. He knew that voice. Yes. He knew that voice. Turning, he went stiff.

"_Sen'eijashu," _Anko said, her eyes flashing. It was payback time. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hand." She flashed towards Naruto with a moment's warning.

"He brought it on himself," Ten Ten remarked to Neji. Her companion sighed and nodded his head. As insightful and good-hearted as his friend could be, he knew that the other boy still had trouble with impulse control and impetuous behavior.

"Yeh." Choji held out a bag, which Neji and Ten Ten both refused. He began munching chips at an unbelievable rate, captivated by the scene unfolding before him and the others. Naruto and a countless number of clones were running pell-mell around the plateau, a silent Anko whittling their numbers down in efficient and sometimes unnecessarily brutal fashion.

"I can see why you said Sasuke calls him a dumb-ass," Sai remarked, before realizing that he had mentioned the taboo name.

"Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata brought a hand to her mouth. She took a half step, stopped, and then looked up at her mentor.

"No." Kurenai shook her head. "Let them settle this between them." She met Hinata's gaze, glad to see the meek girl wanting to help. She wondered if her teammate would ever see her personal dream come true.

"**_Oooo-ooo-oo-oh_**…" Lee tensed up, but relaxed when Shizune put a hand on his shoulder and caused him to stop. Yugao stood in front of him to impede his path, her ANBU mask in hand. Shino, content that the group was not under enemy attack, walked around the three of them on his way to inspect the local flora and fauna.

"Unexpected bonuses," Jiraiya rubbed his hands together. "Pretty ones." He was thinking more about the opportunities four beautiful women might add to his little game than about the plight his former apprentice found himself in. Naruto was a survivor. There were more important things to contemplate. Research of the highest order. "Mmmm-mmm-mm-m…"

Tending to slight and minor injuries, the prior participants stood by enthralled, watching as an irate Anko continued to chase an equally energetic Naruto across the breadth and width of the mountain-top many times over. Finally, spent, Naruto walked over to stand defiantly with his teammates, glaring at a very sweaty Anko, whose face left no mystery to what she would like to see happen.

"Anko…" Kurenai raised her hand. She had taken unofficial leadership of their little group of four prior to the journey. "That will be enough. We planned on testing them, not killing them."

"The methods may have been a bit unorthodox…" Yugao looked over at Naruto, and then shook her head. There was a reason that some people considered that boy to be the most unpredictable ninja in the Hidden Leaf village. "But it's not his fault you were caught off guard…"

"Yes." Shizune sighed. Naruto was wise enough to run from Anko. That was an improvement. But, had he been facing a real enemy, his choice of such a jutsu was not a sign of great strategizing abilities. Then again, who could say? It had certainly effected Anko's retaliation to some degree.

"That's…" Anko clenched her fists. She then shocked everyone by smiling. Licking her blade, she stared at Naruto a bit longer. The hunt wasn't over. It had just been postponed. "Fine. Have it your way."

"Moron." Sakura fought the urge to elbow Naruto in the gut.

"That would be a good new nickname," Sai remarked.

"Not very smart, calling Anko that." Kiba chuckled, thinking he might cause the rather flat-affected Sai to sweat a mite bit. Instead, he swallowed hard when Anko looked in his direction.

"I did not," Sai replied evenly.

"What _would_ you call her?" Shino was curious. He did not intend any trouble. Sai remained silent, regardless.

"Come on," Choji pleaded. He opened a new bag. That had been exciting. This might be a fun trip after all. "If you gave some of us names… you have to name the rest…"

"I suppose it's only fair," Neji said. Ten Ten smiled, secretly pleased that the usually quiet boy had ventured to offer an oipinion.

"You could call her Slowpoke." Naturally, that was Naruto. Now that the chase was over, he felt some of his defiant ornery nature resurfacing. Every woman in the gathering simply sighed and hung her head. Every woman except Anko. She pulled out a few hairs and tested the sharpness of her knife on them.

"Well…" Sakura looked cross again. She really did hate the whole nickname thing. "Let's get it over with…" She looked over at Shikamaru. The excitement had distracted everyone for a bit. But, there was still that cryptic set of instructions from Tsunade. That might end up being far worse than this nonsense.

"I think 'Scary' might be accurate," Sai said. He usually wasn't frightened by anything. He was clever enough to make an exception. He blinked when he saw Anko smile, showing all her teeth. "Or Shark."

"Hah!" Naruto frowned. "Can't use that one. Hoshigaki Kisame is the one who looks like a shark." He was about to say more, but someone spoke first.

"H-How… H-How about Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata looked over at her mentor. She had piped up in order to save Naruto more grief. His spirit still captivated her; but, not for the first time, she wondered at his self-preservation instincts.

"Lovely Leader," Sai said, viewing Kurenai as a woman, and reverting to his new means of naming the female shinobi, Anko excluded. He turned towards Yugao. "Purple Angel." He looked over at Shizune. He was running out of names. His creativity involved artwork, not schmoozing.

"Hey… don't forget Shizune!" Naruto was very fond of the medical ninja.

"Why don't you just give him a chance to think?" Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"That's right!" Ino smiled at Sai. "Sai's doing very well." She still liked her own nickname the best.

"Bothersome." Shikamaru stuck out his lower lip. Was that a twinge of jealousy? Of course not. If he wasn't going to have his heart captured by some wild beauty like Temari, how could he succumb to someone as forward as Ino? "Much too bothersome." Having a rather bossy mother had taught him a great many things about girls. He shook his head when Choji held up one of the ubiquitous bags.

"I would say…" Sai looked at Shizune. She had been kind to him, when he returned from the mission against Orochimaru, and Team Yamato had been sent for medical evaluation. "Heavenly Healer." He had gone back to the library at one point, pouring over a thesaurus, hoping to store away a number of positive adjectives. The effort seemed to have been a practical success. Shizune was smiling.

"Hah!" Naruto grinned, too. "Heavenly Healer. Purple Angel. Lovely Leader." He wasn't too pleased with Sakura's earlier 'Moron'. He looked over at Ino and Ten Ten. "'Gorgerous' and 'Cute One'." He grinned at Sakura. "Hag." He stuck out his jaw, daring his pink-haired companion to take offense. He didn't have to wait long.

"Naruto… you…" Sakura began fuming immediately.

"Try 'Squats When He Pees'. I meant to try that one before." Sai grinned. As it turned out, Sakura didn't need any help. She had plenty of names to call Naruto, her voice growing in volume all the while. Naruto, his pride stung, answered in kind. The insects all went quiet again. This time, they were overwhelmed by the behavior of the supposedly higher species.

"They almost sound like a couple of newlyweds," Yugao commented. That had both Naruto and Sakura stopping mid-shout, fingers frozen mid-shake, their mouths hanging open.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata resumed her finger rubbing.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way…." Kurenai looked over at Shikamaru. "The Hokage simply told us to be of assistance. We're supposed to take part in any assignment you were given." She ran a hand through her hair. "We weren't told anything more than that."

"She was very adamant about things," Shizune added. "It was an order, not a request or a suggestion." Her superior had mentioned something about everyone having worked hard lately, jounin included. But, she refused to say any more than that, other than the fact that the shinobi out on missions would be sent along later, when their duties gave them time.

"This does not seem to be a very strategic location anymore." Yugao looked about the area, her gaze finally falling on the various stacks and piles of supplies the younger ninjas had carried with them. What could the boxes, bags, and satchels contain?

"No enemies to kill," Anko said, tossing her knife and catching it. She looked over at Naruto again. "I'll just have to rough it, I guess."

"She likes you," Sai said to his friend. This joking stuff was getting simpler all the time. Why wasn't Naruto laughing?

"Shhhh-hhh-hh-h…" Sakura shushed Sai. That had Naruto commiserating with his newest teammate.

"You're here to take part, too?" It took a lot to get Shikamaru looking discomforted. "How tr-…" He bit off the 'troublesome.' "We were just discussing the nature of our orders. To say the least… we were a bit surprised at the wording…" He cleared his throat. He hadn't really had the chance to go into any detail with the others. Then again, the part he had read had been more than enough! For a moment, he froze, as if caught in his own jutsu. Kurenai. Asuma had a thing for Kurenai. If somehow he ended up kissing his sensei's girl, what would his cigarette puffing mentor do? No. It was OK. Asuma would probably grin and slap him hard on the back.

"Well then. Let's take care of that now." Kureani nodded in Shikamaru's direction. "It will be dark before we know it. There looks to be plenty of gear to get stowed." She waved her hands towards the supplies.

"Ahem." Shikamaru cleared his throat again. He felt irritated, seeing the look on Kiba's face. That boy was not upset or put-off in the least. Quite the opposite, given that lopsided smirk. "I will begin again." His throat closed up. His one hand twitched ever so slightly.

"Spin The Bottle," Naruto blurted out. Things had dragged on far too long for his liking. What was the big deal about a bottle, anyway? If this was drinking game, so what? There were no drinking ages amongst shin obi.

"Wh-_What?" _Shizune's eyes went wide. Looking to the side, she saw Yugao tense her lips and then put her ANBU mask back on.

"You had better be kidding." Anko laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. The face she turned towards Naruto made it seem that she would hold him personally responsible, no matter what happened.

"Let me see that." Kurenai reached out and took the mission directive out of Shikamaru's hands. "You're not usually one to joke. You should leave that kind of… thing… for…" She clutched the parchment tightly for a moment, a look of disbelief on her fine features. That certainly appeared to be Tsunade's handwriting. But. How?

"Is it her hand-writing?" Yugao sounded skeptical. "Is there some way we can be certain this is not some kind of prank? We all know how boys can be…"

"Let me see." Shizune walked over and looked at the message. "If it's a forgery, it's too good for me to tell apart. I have been reading Tsunade's medical notes for years." She didn't mention that she had also seen countless I.O.U.s. "And the initial paragraphs… those are her words… I'm certain of it…."

"But why involve _us_ in this foolishness?" Kurenai could see some logic behind bringing the young shinobi together for a time of bonding. But, this method seemed low-brow and drastic, more like something an adherent to debauchery and abject lechery might dream up. And, there was absolutely no cause to get women their age and stature tied up in such a thing!

Shizune simply shrugged. She gave Naruto a cross look when she overheard him whisper to Sai, saying 'Maybe she's used that rejuvenation jutsu too many times. Granny Tsunade could be going senile.'

"I do not wish to intrude." Lee walked over, looking somewhat sheepish. "But… well… I am still at a loss." He looked Kurenai in the eyes. The woman's reaction had him concerned. "What exactly _is_ Spin The Bottle?"

"I'll tell him," Ten Ten said, feeling a responsibility for her naïve teammate. She spared a glance at Neji, wondering if he was clueless in such matters too, despite his advanced skill in martial matters. His blank face told her nothing, one way or the other. "It's a game.One where several players sit in a circle. The game starts by one player spinning a bottle. Whomever the bottle points to, the spinner must kiss. The kissee becomes the next spinner. Traditionally, the spinner gets to spin again if the bottle points to a player of the same gender. It isn't a game in the traditional sense. There are no winners and losers."

"That's not how I see it," Ino griped, scowling at the male ninja.

Lee froze. Gai-sensei had never mentioned such things to him. Naruto, too, seemed somewhat taken aback; but, he managed to hide his reaction from a curious Sai and a vigilant Sakura. Most of the others seemed to have known the details ahead of time, even though none of them had actually participated in just such a game.

"It's pretty much an excuse for boys and girls to make out," Yugao said, thinking back to her years as a genin and early chuunin. She had played just such a game with Gekko Hayate before they began seeing one another. Those were not thoughts that she could take comfort in at the moment.

"Ummm…" Hinata clasped her hands together. Was this her worst nightmare, or an opportunity she would never be brave enough to bring about on her own? She stole another glance at the village's noisiest ninja, while everyone else spoke up in a loud rush. Eventually, when the hubbub died down, Yugao spoke out.

"I take it you're going to be a stickler for the rules?" Anko spoke with a slight touch of contempt. Some rules were meant to be broken.

"I'm afraid so," Kurenai said, reading the initial paragraphs aloud. After that, she moved on to a number of provisos. "Well… there _is_ a way out… but it may be worse than simply going through with some harmless kisses." She ignored the look on some of the younger women's faces. No one could bring themselves to look at Shino. "Anyone who refuses to spin and kiss during their turn… he or she has to remove an article of clothing…" Naturally, the mob scene resumed, everyone shouting even louder than before.

"What can anyone do if we refuse?" Ino looked over at Choji, and the pretended to be examining her fingernails wehen she was caught.

"That's spelled out pretty plainly," Shikamaru mumbled, looking up at the dark sun-painted clouds. "First of all, we drop a rank. That, and everything it entails." He went on to give specific examples, saying that Naruto would be excluded from missions, and sent back to redo the Academy. The chuunin would all be genin again, and the jounin chuunin. "There are also punitive measures, too troublesome to discuss." If he were a spitting man, he would have spat then and there.

"Let me see." Sakura still couldn't believe that her mentor and trainer would do such a thing. She took the paper from Shikamaru and read it quickly. "If we want, the game can also be played in combination with Truth or Dare. The spinner gets to ask the person whom the bottle points to an intimate, personal question, which must be answered truthfully. If the answerer does not wish to answer the question, or chooses to accept a challenge instead, then they must agree to perform a Dare, no matter what that dare might be."

That had everyone muttering amongst themselves. Some looked stricken. Others looked concerned. Some looked rather happy.

"May I have that again, please." Kurenai took the orders and confirmed what Sakura had read. She went on to add even more. "We can have the one who gets the bottle pointed at them choose what two people kiss, if we want to go that route."

"I don't think so." Ino shivered. She would rather take her chance with Fate.

"What's the problem?" Sakura tossed her hair. "Who would choose someone like _you?"_

"Do you two mind?" Kurenai speared both Sakura and Ino with a heated glance. Things were volatile enough as they stood. "It also says that we can call out two people for Seven Minutes in Heaven each round, if we choose."

"Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Sai cocked his head. "That doesn't mean we suffocate someone for a short period of time, does it?" Something like that might mimic a temporary death-like experience.

"No," Shizune shook her head. "It's… well…" As a more mature woman, she shouldn't be blushing. But, she couldn't help herself. She informed the others that when Seven Minutes in heaven was played as a stand-alone game, two participants would be randomly selected each round and forced to be alone for a specified time interval, usually seven minutes. She felt her face growing even warmer. "It is often implied that the participants will engage in kissing, hugging… or…"

"Intimate sexual contact." Kiba grinned widely.

Hinata sat down hard. Sakura brought her hand to her mouth, and then turned such a furious face on her two teammates that the two boys took a step back. Ino blinked rapidly, until she too felt the color rise on her cheeks. Ten Ten stood very still, as if she were attempting to blend in with the background.

"You know…." Anko walked over to stand near Kiba. She broke of a long piece of shrubbery with her hand, and began stripping off its leaves with her blade. "There _are_ some types of animals where the female kills the male after mating."

"She is correct," Shino confirmed. "Mantises… spiders… other types of insects and Arachnids." Was it the mention of such matters that had Kiba looking so pale? Why? He had never shown any ill effects being around chakra bugs in the past? The rather wicked look in Anko's eyes showed him all the answer he needed. Not one to be effected in such a fashion, he nonetheless felt a chill run up and down his spine.

"Mating?" Sai scratched his head. "I did not have opportunity to read up on the normal courtship ritual. Would it…." he cringed when Sakura picked up a huge nearby sack and clobbered him across the head with it.

"We can work out the details later," Shikamaru said in a resigned tone of voice. Even though Kurenai and the others out-ranked him in some fashion, he was still the assigned leader of this expedition. He had not wanted such a responsibility, back when they were sent out to retrieve Sasuke, and he had returned to the possibility that his friends would die. He wanted leadership even less, now. "I believe we should unpack and stow things away while we have light."

As the group busied themselves at the task at hand, a shadowy and shaggy figure flashed from building to building, drilling peepholes where natural cracks and crevices didn't already exist. Jiraiya smiled like a kid in a candy shop, once again feeling the same rush of exuberance that he felt before any of his peeping escapades. This promised to be a gold mine of sorts, even though there wouldn't likely be much skin exposed. Yes, he was a pervert. No, he was not a voyeur. He was merely a scientist… an explorer… an entrepreneur… taking note of things that would aid and entertain his legion of paying customers. That was his story and he was sticking to it!

The items that were emptied from the various crates and bags might have caused some to doubt the veracity of the orders. There were large amounts of food, most of which could be grilled or cooked over campfires. There were also volleyball nets and balls; items needed for horseshoes; badminton gear; and sundry other similar objects. But, as such items might also be seen to be part and parcel of normal teenage activities, at least for young men and women who had time for such luxuries, the growing accounting list merely helped reinforce the validity of the mission parameters.

"Everything's stowed away, Shikamaru." Ino called out to her teammate. Everyone had spread their sleeping gear throughout the various bungaloos. A large fire and communal area had been set up in the largest building on the plateau. An evening's worth of dinner food and snacks were stored in the very same enclosure. So was a rather large and empty bottle they had discovered in one of the bags.

"I don't see how we can put this off any longer," a sullen and cranky Shikamaru said to the assembly. "I cleared off a large area on the floor, to the side of our fire. Everybody go in and take a seat."

"Who do we sit next to?" Ten Ten tried to sound innocent. She took a very small step towards Neji.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

The logs in the blazing fire crackled, shooting out an occasional ember or two.

Arranged in a large circle around a cleared space on the ancient dusty floor, the shinobi chatted amongst themselves, the mood one of uneasiness and discontent.

"Old Lady Tsunade went too far this time." Naruto stood up, fists clenched. "This isn't the kind of thing a Hokage should do! No way!" His comment drew similar remarks from some of the others.

"That is not an issue now," Shikamaru said, hating to be the voice of law and reason at a time like that. "Yes, this is annoying. No, it would not be my choice , either. However, as members of Hidden Leaf village, we all swore a vow to follow orders."

"That is correct," Kurenai added, nodding at Shikamaru. "Only under extreme circumstances… where the very survival of our family and friends are at stake… can we even question the validity of our missions." She pushed the hair out of her face. This was even more embarrassing to the kunoichi jounin than the others. "We face no such crisis at the moment. However… when we return home… feel free to approach the Hokage and critique her request…" That had everyone clamming up. They could all picture just such a scene.

"I think Naruto's afraid." Kiba smiled. This would be a good time to get a dig in on his friend.

"What!" Naruto took a step towards Kiba. In the flickering light, his shadow almost looked to have tails. Seated outside, snuggly hidden in the growing darkness, Jiraiya bit off a piece of spicy jerky and smiled. His former apprentice was so predictable.

"Why would Naruto be scared?" Lee looked over at a glowering Naruto. "He is one of the bravest amongst us. **_Ohhh-hh-h_**… the burning fire of youth shines brightly in him!" Everyone went dead silent, staring at Lee. Only the crickets outside could be heard. Would he be scarred for life, marked by Gai's influence?

"Maybe…" Choji began munching fiercely again. The tension was exciting. Ignorant of the grease dripping down on his clothing, he gulped down a skewer of cooked beef and continued speaking. "But… he might be afraid… if he never kissed a girl…."

"Huh? _What?" _Naruto tensed up, his jaw jutting out. "Why would anyone be afraid of that? Why?" He put his hands on his hips and turned slowly, looking at his seated comrades. "Hah! Who would want to kiss anyone here, anyway?" He folded his arms over his chest. Once again, his bravado threatened to bring him a world of trouble.

"Baka." Shikamaru closed his eyes. He immediately went stiff an instant later. Was that the sound of someone snickering outside? No. It was probably just the wind.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata hung her head after whispering that word. But, at least he didn't mention anyone else.

"That's our future leader…" Kiba put his hands behind his head and smiled. For someone with such a big heart and enough compassion to fill the entire Fire Country, Naruto could be so obtuse at times. Things were rarely dull with him around.

"Well, who would want to kiss someone like _you?" _Even though she had warmed a great deal towards Naruto, Ino didn't have any romantic aspirations with his name on them. Just the same, his blanket statement stung her pride.

"Hey!" Naruto pointed at Ino. He lowered his arm and pursed his lips, pride wrestling with his need to cover his inexperience. He kicked at a leaf that had nlown in through the open doorway. "Sakura might…" He looked over at Sakura. He wondered why Sai was furiously sketching on that pad of his. "And… well…." He found himself confronting his emotions. He really wasn't certain how he felt about Sakura. At times, he thought of her as a sister of sorts. At other times, she was a teammate. But, in reflective moments, he wondered if something more than that might come into being some day. "If it was with Sakura… it would be OK… I guess…"

"**Naruto!" **Sakura's reaction was predictable, as proven by Sai's sketch. It was frighteningly accurate, showing Naruto spread-eagled against a newly cracked wall. "You jerk!" She too had mixed feelings about her teammate. In fact, she tried hard not to think about such matters, after that fierce battle against Orochimaru, where Naruto had taken on his four-tail form.

"Uhhh-hh-h…" Naruto slid down the wall, collecting a number of painful splinters. He sat in a heap, rubbing his bruised body. He didn't notice Hinata take out a small jar of ointment and hold it in her hand, wrestling with her own thoughts. "That hurt. What did I do wrong?"

"You were just being yourself," Shino observed. "That is often enough."

"Perhaps we should begin the game, before anyone ends up in the infirmary." Shikamaru frowned. "And I hope no one gets violent during the game-play. We are all acting under duress, here." He looked over at Kiba. "At least… _most_ of us…" He ventured a glance at Anko. "I think I will insist that all weapons be placed in the far corner of the room."

"Yes, that's a good idea. And I agree, we aren't doing ourselves any good by delaying the inevitable. Let's just get this over with." Kurenai held out her hand towards Anko. She kept it there, after the other woman had deposited a number of weapons onto her palm. She knew Anko all too well. More weapons soon followed. When she asked if anyone wanted to frisk Anko to be sure, no one volunteered.

"Hey! Not yet! I'm not the only one who should be put on the spot!" Naruto groaned as he stood up again. Damn, that Sakura was strong! "How about the rest of you guys… is there someone here you want to kiss? Huh? _Is _there?"

Hinata looked like she was about to pass out. Knowing Hinata, Ten Ten placed an arm around her back, just in case. She then looked over at Neji, opened her mouth for a moment, and then closed it shut.

"Hey! Lee. How about _you?" _Naruto walked over to stand in front of his bushy-browed friend.

"I…." Lee went as stiff as a training post. He couldn't help but look towards Sakura and blush. Luckily, she didn't catch his glance. But, that didn't mean that others hadn't. "I would…" His eyes went wider than usual. "I should do my push-ups… I have been delinquent, today…" He immediately began doing his exercises, counting in his usual manner.

"It's OK, Lee." Ino pictured the rather sensitive boy keeping that up all night. "It's only Naruto. It's not like you have to spill all your secrets to him."

"Well, it doesn't take a genius to tell who Ino might want to lock lips with!" Naruto smiled, meeting Ino's challenge head on. "_Right_ Neji." The white-eyed boy was a genius, after all. But, the look on his face clearly said that he didn't want to get dragged into something like this. "Starts with an 'S', and ends with 'Hikamaru'. Right?"

"Or 'Ai'," Sakura added, coming to Naruto's aid this time, seeing that Ino was the one under the microscope. She had not been oblivious to Ino's reactions around her other teammate.

"But… that…" Ino began sputtering, giving Sakura 'OK, now you asked for it' kind of glare. "It's…" That had Shikamaru looking out through the nearest window, contemplating the stars. They were so distant. Distant, peaceful, and silent.

"What a bunch of losers." Kiba folded his arms across his chest. He scratched a drowsy Akamaru behind one huge ear.

"What?" Naruto had his hands on his hips again. "_Who's_ a loser?"

"All I am saying is that _I'm_ not going to make such a big deal out of all this." Kiba grinned. "I wouldn't mind kissing anyone here. Hey. I wouldn't mind kissing _everyone _here." Actually, he wouldn't feel right kissing Hinata. But, the rest were all fair game.

"Everyone?" Shino pushed his glasses further up his nose. He was used to the exuberance that his partner showed. He was quite a contrast, compared to himself and Hinata. But, that was what made their group formidable.

"Even _her?" _Choji stopped chewing again, but for an entirely different reason. He was pointing at Anko, who had the deceptive calmness of a snake about her at the moment. One couldn't help but wonder whether or not she was poised to strike. She liked it that way.

"Kurenai-sense is right." Kiba managed to keep an even tone, but still rushed his words. "We should get started." He did not make eye contact with Anko.

"Finally," Shikamaru said. He drawled his next words with obvious sarcasm. "Naruto… do I have your permission to continue?"

"Huh? What?" Naruto blinked rapidly. Shikamaru's point hit home, causing him to look a bit sheepish, put one hand behind his neck, and sit down. "Sorry."

"I think we should go over the rules, again." Kurenai put in. "First, I will say that we should all participate in this as if it were any other kind of mission. We are shinobi of the Leaf. We fight for the honor of our village. Each of us should give this our all… and there should be no type of trickery…." That last bit was a bit at odds with many missions, since it was often a ninja's duty to use deception to its fullest advantage. But, her point was well taken. This was a game. There would be no cheating. "This is not the written test at the chuunin exams. No one should seek unfair advantage. There will be no altering the bottle or the spinner with jutsus." She eyed Ino first, but also spared a look of Shikamaru. "There will be no manipulation of any of the players." The talents of those two were well known to everyone present.

"And I should reiterate," Shikamaru added. "There should be no bloodshed."

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Anko tried to look innocent. "I'm _so _misunderstood…" She couldn't keep from grinning a frightful grin. She tapped one finger on something metallic she had slid under her leg.

Sakura looked down at Sai's pad. He had drawn a large and bloody shark. The eyes had an uncanny resemblance to Anko's eyes. She dutifully informed him of Anko's prior relationship to Orochimaru, which had the boy 'X'ing out the toothy fish and inking the outlines of a large snake with feminine features.

"Yes. No violence. Period." Kurenai didn't look at Anko this time. Her gaze zeroed in on Sakura, who blushed and tried to look innocent herself. Naruto nodded happily, until he met Sakura's eyes. "So. To the rules of the game. We will draw straws to select the first spinner. That person will spin until the bottle points directly at someone of the opposite sex. The two will then kiss on the lips, and the spinee will be come the next spinner. According to our orders…" She held up the paper. "We have to play until sunrise."

"The one who the bottle points to _does_ have a number of options," Shikamaru added. "Like we mentioned before. He or she can refuse the kiss, and remove an article of clothing. The clothing must go onto a discard pile, and cannot be put back on until the game is over." He stopped again. Was it the wind? What else could it be? "The spinner gets to…" He coughed. "The spinner gets to select the piece of clothing."

The girls all looked at one another, wide-eyed. They then narrowed their eyes, and at the same moment, looked at Kiba. Their faces made note of a rather significant point. The game would last only so long. But, repercussions could stretch on forever.

"Damn. I should have remembered to put underwear on today." Naruto blurted that out without thinking. He had been in a rush. As usual, he didn't realize that he had run out of clean undees until it was too late. Who didn't do that?

"**Too much information!" **Ino froze after saying that. She was not alone.

"If the spinee does not want to kiss… and is against removing his or her apparel… the he or she can answer a Truth, or accept a Dare." Kurenai picked up where Shikamaru left off. "On the other hand… if the one who has the bottle pointing at him or her wants to, they can call for Seven Minutes in Heaven. If the spinner backs out, _he_ has to remove some clothing."

"The rules seem straightforward," Sai remarked. "It would appear to be an ideal way to grow closer to one another. I should take notes on this." He looked around the room. "Why does everyone else appear uneasy?"

"He's so cute when he's clueless," Ino said without thinking.

"At least _someone_ is." Sakura looked at Naruto, who stuck out his lower lip and began to stand, before Yugao grabbed his leggings with the intent to force him to remain seated. Unfortunately, his button came undone. The pants were all that were pulled down. His remarks about underwear were no joke.

"I think I've gone blind!" Ino squeezed her eyes shut.

**"You idiot!"** Sakura began strangling Naruto, blaming him for the incident, even though her little dig is what had him trying to stand in the first place.

"That's…" Lee looked crestfallen for an instant. He did not like feeling inferior. When Naruto was the one who had defeated Neji, who Lee had long wanted to beat, he had been very down. But, now as then, his spirit rose to the occasion. He would be glad of a friend's good fortune. Giving Naruto a thumbs up, he smiled, sending a spark of light across the room.

"K-K-Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai had acted swiftly, grabbing an empty sack and placing it over Hinata's head.

"We have to do this until sunlight?" Shikamaru turned an uncharacteristically pleading look on Kurenai.

"I'm afraid so," Kurenai answered with a sigh. When Naruto's pants were bag up, she freed Hinata from the bag. "Never mind," she said when the girl asked tor the reason behind her temporary black-out.

"At least this will be a memorable mission," Neji remarked in his usual dry fashion, commenting to no one in particular.

"It would appear so," Shino said in agreement.

"Should I sketch that, too?" Once again, Sai's growing penchant for jokes asserted itself. Speaking to Sakura, he pointed to Naruto's mid-section, even after he had hastily pulled his drawers back up.

"**NO!" **All of the women replied at the same time.

"I trust this will not turn into some kind of burlesque show," Kurenai said sternly to Naruto. When he opened his mouth to complain, she beat him to the punch. "I know it wasn't your fault this time." She waved off Yugao's unspoken apology. _"This _time. All I am saying is there had better not be any _more_ times." She sighed. "You could go home in a sack."

"It's not like I asked anyone to pull my pants down," Naruto grumped. He made a face. Earlier, he had actually been considering creating a room full of clones, and having them moon Kiba. Now, that idea would have to end up in the waste bin. "Or have anyone try to choke me to death." That, of course, was directed to Sakura. "Why can't everyone be nice and sweet like Hinata?" She was seated directly across from him. Since the Hyuuga girl had not drawn much attention to herself, he had overlooked her much of the time. That alone spoke volumes about her behavior, _didn't_ it?

Hinata quickly raised her head. Her eyes went very wide and her breath froze in her throat. Did Naruto really mean that? Was he complimenting her? Had he noticed her?

"He _wants _you." Kiba laughed after whispering that into Hinata's ear. She almost keeled over. He ignored the angry look that Ten Ten gave him.

"Alright. Let's cut the horseplay and get this going." Kurenai stood up, and whispered 'While we're all still young' under her breath. Her patience had worn past thin. Even Kiba ought to know what that meant! "I'll be right back." She went over to one of the supply bags and took out a number of stakes that were to be used to set up tents, volleyball nets, and the like. With a quick swipe of her blade, she shortened one in comparison to the others. Equally as swift, she placed them all within a container, the shorter one propped up so as to look no different than the others. "Here." She handed the large bowl to Shikamaru.

"Everyone takes one," Shikamaru said. Observant, he knew what the jounin had done. "Short stick spins first." He walked around, letting the other ninjas pull their tokens. "Naruto… there is no peaking to see if one is as long as the others…. Sheesh."

When everyone held one of the tent pegs in his or her hand, they all placed them near one another, looking to see who the 'lucky' individual was.

"Hinata," Kurenai said. "You drew the short one." That had the older woman sighing. It was symbolic. In some ways, it seemed that her team member had drawn the short straw in life. And, she was all too well aware of how the white-eyed girl felt about a certain rambunctious young man.

"Y-Yes, K-Kurenai-sensei." Hinata clutched the piece of wood tightly to her chest. She was painfully shy. Everyone knew that. She also suspected that near everyone knew how she felt about Naruto… well, at least the other kunzite did. Immediately, her mind slipped back into familiar territory. 'I'm not ready for this. What if it's Naruto. I haven't even been able to bring myself to talk to him yet.' A sweat drop ran down the side of her face. It felt as if the whole world was looking in and listening to her thoughts.

"Hinata…" Shikamaru had begun tapping one toe. That was not like him! But, they had all been sitting silently, waiting for Hinata to move. After being designated the spinner, she had gone still, her eyes darting this way and that, often ending up looking towards someone in a loud orange jumpsuit.

"Oh… ummm…" Hinata rubbed her fingers together. She tried to clear her head. There were too many thoughts. What if the bottle pointed at Naruto? What if it didn't point at Naruto? What would he think about kissing her? What would he think about her kissing someone else? Would she faint? Did this count as her first kiss? "OK…" Swallowing hard, she thought back to her battle with Neji. Her special person was watching her. She could do this. Hand trembling, she placed it on the bottle and gave it a hard spin.

Round and round the elongated green bottle spun, kicking up a small spiral of dust as it did so. Even though everyone pretended to be blasé or unconcerned, most of them leaned forward, holding their breath.

"Ha! Bushy eyebrows!" Naruto shouted and pointed, when the tip of the empty vessel pointed directly at Rock Lee. He smiled, happy to see someone else put on the spot.

There were no exuberant and heartfelt exclamations from the boy in the green stretchy suit. He merely sat still, staring at the bottle. Repeatedly, the 'What would Gai-sensei do' thought ricocheted off of the corners of his mind. Slowly he stood. He took up a pose and waved his hand dramatically.

"**_Ahhh-hh-h_**…" Lee put on hand on his knee, looking off into the dark, ignoring Hinata for the moment. He would have to behave in manly fashion. Whatever he did, he would need to be a credit to his teacher. "I will carry out my duty swiftly, with the speed of an eagle and the bravery of a lion. With the promise of every youth resting on my shoulders I…." He was cut-off.

"Just kiss her and get it over with," Kiba snorted. "And don't forget the tongue." He enjoyed teasing his timid teammate every once in a while. His comment had Hinata wobbling, a number of people whispering amongst themselves, and Choji looking very intense.

"Tongue?" Lee looked shocked at first, but finally took up another stance. Again, he wondered what Gai would do.

"If it were Gai instead of you…" Kurenai obviously had guessed what was going on inside the chuunin's head. "And me instead of Hinata…" She had a very fierce look on his face. "He would be singing soprano for more than a month, if he tried that."

"I bet Gai already sings soprano," Naruto quipped.

"**_Ohhh-hhh-hh-h_**…" Lee turned towards Naruto, his features darkening. "Gai-sensei is…." Again, he was interrupted.

"If this keeps up, it might be the only kiss before dawn." Sai had spoken without looking up. He was sketching a posing Lee, his eyes two large blank circles and his mouth open wider than humanly possible. "If my guess is correct… some of the people here would be happy if that were the case…" He shrugged. "I still do not understand. What is there to fear from the touching of lips?" He still viewed emotions and personal encounters with a more clinical than personal manner.

"Sai!" Naruto felt compelled to stand up. "It's not just a touching of lips." His own ambivalence… or more accurately, his mixed up emotions… were plain for all to see. "But… well… I'm not afraid." He sat down hard and placed both hands behind his neck, while staring up at the ceiling. Abruptly, he looked at everyone else, put on a fearless front, and said "What are we waiting for?"

"You see what I have to put up with?" Sakura sighed. "He's almost as bad as Lee." That slipped out unintentionally. Lee looked like a statue, ready to fall over, or crack into a thousand pieces.

"At least you have Sai in your group," Ino remarked. She closed her eyes a moment, and wondered what it might be like to have both Sai and Shikamaru as her teammates. "And you once had Sasuke." She put a hand over her mouth. That had slipped out. It was almost a taboo subject. Both Naruto and Sakura looked disconsolate.

"Kissing really isn't so bad," Shizune said, wisely wanting to break that awkward silence. "In a few years, I bet you will all be thinking about it a whole lot more." Shinobi were no different than their civilian counterparts, even though the demands of their lives often forced certain things to be delayed or pushed aside.

"I already think about it a lot," Kiba bragged. "In a few years I'll be thinking mostly about…" He couldn't move his mouth anymore. Shikamaru had used his Shadow talents to hold his lips together. Just the same, most of the people present could guess what he had been about to say. They just weren't certain whether or not Kiba was all bark and no bite.

Akamaru howled. He did think a lot about certain things, when a certain season came around. He wondered why the humans were behaving so strangely. Why weren't they all sniffing each other's butts?

Kurenai and Shikamaru both spoke up forcefully, bringing things back into total focus. In time, Hinata did as directed, kneeling in front of an already kneeling Lee. Slowly, as if their heads were weak magnets, their faces came closer and closer until their lips lightly touched. Hinata quickly retreated to her original spot.

"What was _that?" _Kiba looked incredulous. "That wasn't a kiss. Does anyone here think that is what Spin The Bottle is all about?" He sneered. "If you're not swapping spit… you're not doing things right..."

"I hate to speak up." Yugao usually kept quiet, especially in the years following the death of Gekko Hayate at the hand of foe turned ally Baki. "But… in the spirit of the game…. he's probably right." Honor compelled her to speak. But, she didn't look too pleased at having to speak the truth.

"Yes," Kurenai said, also very reluctant to agree. "We won't need to repeat that one…" She couldn't bring herself to make Hinata repeat the kiss with Lee. "But… from now on… any poor kiss will need to be repeated." Hinata visibly relaxed.

Outside, Jiraiya nodded his head. He had been worried for a moment. He would rather write a steamy 'Hot kissing games of Kohoha's Youth' than a comical 'Timid Teenagers Terrified of their own Hormones' chapter. But, either way he would win. Of course, this was only the outline of his future work. The names would not be changed to protect the innocent. And, at his age, the memory often went bad, right? He would spice things up a great deal to fill in the holes!

"Lee. It's your turn to spin." Shikamaru spoke rather flatly. He had known this would be bothersome. They had hardly started, and things had already exceeded his pessimistic expectations.

"Yes," Lee answered quietly, bring a hand to his lips. Softly or not, he had actually kissed a girl. He had kissed a girl! Gai-sensei would be so proud! "Yes!" He stood and posed again, before spinning. "This is my Destiny. With eyes pointed towards the Future, it's a clear sign that…."

"Lee, you should just spin the bottle," Ten Ten knew her teammate well. "You don't want to overheat or something." Honestly, he had been terribly shy one moment, and then had eyes full of flame the next. That boy would drive them all crazy some day!

"Some people just don't know how to control themselves," Naruto remarked to Sai. That had everyone but the crickets going silent again. They stared at the blonde-haired boy in disbelief. Even Sakura was too taken aback to chastise him again. "Huh?" He noticed everyone looking at him. "What!"

Trying to maintain his sudden rush of bravado, Lee gave the bottle a firm shove, causing it to gyrate once again. As it spun, his thoughts all centered around one word, a name. That name repeated over and over again, growing in volume in his thoughts. 'Sakura-chan… **SAKURA**-chan… **SAKURA**-**CHAN**….'

Sakura caught sight of Lee's gaze. It was frightful. Her mind flashed back to the first day of the chuunin exams, when Naruto and Sasuke had sparred with Lee, before a strange talking turtle and even stranger Gai had shown up. Was she remembering things correctly, or was it just her imagination. There had seemed to be sticky hearts flying in her direction, then. She had nearly thrown her back out, dodging them all. Even though the warmth of the fire caressed her back, she shivered. 'No… _No_… **_NO_**,' she thought.

"Hey! Lee!" Naruto, by coincidence, thought back to the same encounter. He grinned. "You going to tell Sakura that you love her again?"

The 'Inner Sakura' went as stiff as the real one did. But, while that imaginary construct started spouting death threats and profanities, the girl herself moved with an admirable economy of motion. She moved her arm slightly, bringing her fist up and swinging it into Naruto's smiling face.

Naruto, stunned by the blow, rolled ass over tea cups until he stopped, directly in the heart of the blazing fire. The scorching pain brought him back to consciousness, but not until his breeches caught on fire. Running around the room with his rear end on fire, he put on quite a spectacle before sitting down in a trough of water they had drawn earlier. Steam surrounded him before wafting upwards.

Unfazed by the goings on, the bottle slowed gradually in its motion. As Naruto sighed a long sigh of relief, everyone else watched the bottle the way a hawk watches an unsuspecting filed mouse. Slower. Slower still. And then, just still. It pointed at Ten Ten.

"But…" Ten Ten looked at Lee. She like Lee a lot. She respected him a great deal, and always cheered him on. But, not now. Not this. It would be like kissing a brother or a cousin. And, what kind of ramifications might it have, kissing someone in their team, before she kissed the one she really wanted to kiss? "I can't… it's…" She looked over at Neji, who merely returned her gaze emotionlessly. She could rarely tell what he might be thinking, despite all the time she had spent training with him and fighting by his side.

"It's the rule," Kiba said. Both Kurenai and Shikamaru nodded their heads, without looking enthusiastic like the Inuzuka boy. "We all have to play by the rules." It was easy for Kiba to say that. With the exception of Hinata, he felt that all of the girls were hot in their fashion. Well, Hinata and that Pyscho jounin. Glancing at Shino out of the corner of his eyes, he smirked. Instinctively, his eyes sought out Choji next… Lee… and then a rather damp-looking Naruto. The girls were not nearly as fortunate as the guys were. Bummer!

"That's easy for _you_ to say!" Ino was thinking along the same line as Kiba.

"It's only a game," Shizune said. Like the other jounin, she had no desire to get caught up in this contest, especially with a group of underlings. "It won't have any romantic ramifications… unless certain people want it to…." She smiled kindly, ignorant to the dynamics of the group. "I understand that no one would want to kiss one of their fellow team members…."

"**That's right!" **Sakura spoke a little too quickly. That had Sai looking at her curiously. He had been in Team Kakashi for a while now, and had noticed a number of things. He had simply never had time to start assimilating what he had seen.

"Sure," Kiba said, chuckling. He then faked a cough, one that clearly sounded like Ino.' That was followed by one that sounded like 'Shika.' That had Shikamaru making a trademark face of disgust, and Ino looking down at her toenails.

"Ha! That's right!' Naruto had recently been clued in by the more worldly Kiba about the emotional threads that ran throughout the group of friends. "Choji!" He pointed at his rotund buddy. "And Ino!" As long as they were joking, he didn't figure it would hurt anyone's feelings. He felt bad when Choji slid back into one of the few shadowy spots in the building.

"You were supposed to cough," Kiba said. "It's more fun that way. Watch." He grinned, and then coughed 'Hinata.' His eyes sparkled with mischief. Hinata shook her head 'no.'

"**KIBA!" **Kurenai raised her voice.

"OK." Kiba shrugged. "I wasn't going to say anything more. I was just teasing her…."

"Huh? How?" Naruto stood up again, his usually hyper kinetic character taking over. "What would you have said? Does Hinata have a boyfriend?" Once again, the room of ninjas stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"Truly pathetic," Anko said, just loud enough to be overheard. "And he wants to be Hokage some day? Ancestors help us all…." She smiled when Naruto glared at her. Shifting her weight, she winced, all too cognizant that her backside remained sore.

"We're all in this together," Shikamaru said, trying to foster as much of a sense of group unity as he could, even though he himself didn't want to be part of this. "I think the subject matter has worn out its welcome." Naturally, he had reason to brush that all under the rug, figuratively speaking.

"Alright," Kiba said grudgingly. "Fine." He shook his finger at each of the chuunin in turn. "?That means no one should mention Temari." He folded his arms across his chest. Score: Kiba one, Shikamaru zero. That will teach him to act like a big shot. He ignored Ino's stare.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee raised one hand. "But… Temari is not part of any of our teams…."

"_Two_ idiots," Anko said, shaking her head.

"Sai?" Ino found something to distract herself. Sai had raised his hand, but lowered it.

"I was going to ask a question. A way of learning about the people I am closest to, now." Sai had that strange smile of his again, one that could signify just about anything. "But… we have been instructed to do otherwise…."

"Nobody said you couldn't ask an honest question," Kurenai remarked. Not thinking it necessary, she did not reiterate her objections to the prior turn of events. "You should consider us all to be your comrades now, even though none of us worked for the Root division, and most of us aren't members of Team Kakashi."

"As you wish," Sai replied. "From my observations… I was merely wondering if Sakura might want to Kiss Naruto. I think….' Just because he was given permission to ask, it didn't make the asking any more wise.

"…." Sakura's jaw fell. She clenched her fists. The 'Inner Sakura' was frothing at the mouth. Acting on impulse, she rammed her fist into Sai's belly. He folded up a cot. Shizune soon rushed to administer First Aid, worrying that he might have suffered internal injuries. Realizing that everyone was looking at her, Sakura blushed, and then tried to put on a cheerful smile. "Sorry. But, who would want to kiss Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked cross. He didn't like to be put down. The kissing thing had been mildly interesting to him before, but mostly just a big annoyance. Now, his pride stung, he flip-flopped. "You'll see. I'll be the best at _that_ too!" He looked at Sakura, wondering why he was feeling a bit hurt.

"Thanks," Ino said. "Thanks a whole _lot, _Sakura." She shivered, knowing how Naruto was when he got going with anything.

"I've decided," Ten Ten said, before Sakura could retort. She looked uncomfortable, not knowing what might happen. But, she had faith in Lee. "I will choose Dare…" There was no way she was going to disrobe, not even a little bit.

"Alright!" Kiba rubbed his hands together. This could be more fun than kissing. He began thinking of the perfect Dare.

"Lee, you will give Ten Ten the Dare." Kurenai hid a smile, knowing what Kiba must have been hoping for.

"Shit," Kiba muttered. That's right, the spinner gets to choose. Looking over at a wide-eyed and clueless Lee, he hung his head. Akamaru put his snout on the ground, hefting both huge paws to cover his eyes. This would be boring.

"But… what…." Lee looked at everyone in turn, totally lost. What would make a good Dare? One hundred laps around the plateau, with Neji on her back? He thought back to the mission against Akatsuki, where Neji had refused to ride on his back. One thousand push ups? No. That would delay the game. What?

"I got one… I got one…" Naruto stood up, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. He began rattling off possible Dares. Lee didn't hear a single one. Instead, he stared at his overly animated friend. Then, thongs clicked into place.

"I know the Dare," Lee said. "For one minute, Ten Ten will have to act like Naruto."

"That's cruel." Ino grinned.

"Lee, how _could_ you?" Choji smiled, too.

"One Naruto is more than enough," Kiba grumped. Akamaru snorted.

"Hey! What's so bad about _that!" _Naruto made a face. "She can be brave… strong… never quit…." He offered to coach Ten Ten in her Narutohood. But, she already had her own ideas.

"Sakura-chan… Sakura-chan… Sakura-chan…" Ten Ten's voice was loud, brash, and whiney.

"I don't do that anymore!" Naruto bit his lip, the anger building. He hadn't behaved that way after returning from his training with Ero-Sennin.

"I'm going to be Hokage!" Ten Ten posed, bringing a glint of pride to Lee's eye. "Hokage… Hokage… Hokage…." Everyone was laughing, except a smiling Lee, a frowning Naruto, and an empathetic Hinata.

"That's right! I am! It's not some kind of joke!" Naruto was clenching his fists now. The difference between the 'new' Naruto and the old one was not how restrained he behaved. Rather, it was how long it took before he finally slipped back into his noisy and demonstrative ways.

"Let's see…" Ten Ten was actually having fun. The kissing part was forgotten for now. Walking around the room, she spied a bowl full of string, useful for the craft sets that had been packed for them. Falling to her knees, she pretended to shovel it into her mouth. "Ramen… Ramen… I love you Ramen…"

"A lot of people like Ramen," Naruto said sourly, trying to regain his composure. That took less and less work these days.

"These are all very interesting," Sai put in. He had been a bit shocked, to see how much he had begun to enjoy a social gathering of this sort. "I will try to remember them…."

"**SAI!" **Naruto pointed a finger at his teammate, but the other boy simply smiled 'that' smile again, his eyes half-closed.

"He's so great, isn't he." Ino looked over at Shikamaru. "Sai, I mean…." She narrowed her eyes when her teammate didn't even seem to notice.

"It's your turn to spin, Ten Ten." Shikamaru said, nonplussed.

"Alright." Ten Ten sighed. There would be no escaping this time, unless the spinnee so chose. She set the bottle in motion. Once again it did its job, efficiently and without the taint of human emotions. Coming to a stop, it pointed to Anko.

"Kinky!" Kiba laughed. "I'd pay to see _that_ one!" He swallowed hard when Anko looked at him. When Akamaru ran outside, he muttered 'Big coward.' It took a few minuets until the dog peered cautiously around the doorframe and the returned.

"Did anyone bring a camera?" That simple joke left the room speechless. Anko was too stunned to take offense. It had been Shino! "I was merely joking, of course…"

Looking at Shino with a quizzical look, Ten Ten spun again. This time, the bottle stopped at Shikamaru.

"Wonderful," Shikamaru said. "I wondered how long it would take."

"But…." Ino put her hand over her mouth.

"I bet you could cop a feel with that shadow technique," Kiba offered. He thought that was a very funny suggestion. Unfortunately for him, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Without saying a word, every woman but Hinata stood, made their way over to him, and then began to instruct him in proper etiquette in a very physical manner.

"Go ahead, you two." Kurenai had felt a bit torn, contributing to Kiba's bumps and bruises. She was his teacher after all. But, in a very real fashion, that had been a lesson of sorts. Unfortunately, she doubted it would have much effect.

Shiakamaru and Ten Ten were very business-like, sharing a kiss that met everyone's expectation of the game. After that, a resigned Shikamaru set the bottle to spinning again.

Ino clutched her hands together tightly, her interlaced fingers blanching. The breath stuck in her throat and her heartbeat was loud in her ears. Just once, she would like for things to go her way! She would be disappointed. The bottle pointed to Hinata again.

"Hinata, you little slut. Two in one night." Kiba raised his hands when the girls all growled. "Whoa! Like Shino said. It's just a joke."

"You could do a Dare like Ten Ten did," Shizune offered.

"Or take off some clothes!" Choji froze when he realized that he had spoken his thoughts out loud.

"Ha! Choji's a big perv!" Naruto laughed. "Just like Ero-Sennin."

"Don't call me that…." Jiraiya clamped his jaws shut. Luckily, Choji's retort had drowned out his mistake. That had been too close.

"I…." Hinata shook her head. No clothes would come off. She couldn't risk a Truth, even though she trusted Shikamaru not to mention Naruto. That trust aside, she also couldn't take the chance on a Dare. "I… ummm…." She swallowed hard. "I will do the kiss."

"Good girl," Kurenai said. She knew it wasn't bravery, per se. It was simple enough to follow her thought process, too. Just the same, she had spoken up in a strong voice, without twiddling her fingers. The jounin watched as a long but platonic kiss was exchanged, and the bottle did its thing yet again.

"At this rate, Hinata will probably end up kissing everyone." Shino didn't let his emotions show. In his family, it could be very hard to get a date, much less find a woman who wanted to marry a man who had turned himself into a nest for bugs. So, any kiss should be treasured, whenever it came about. Even if it had to be with his teammate and friend.

"Maybe even Naruto," Kiba said in an off-hand manner. Hinata went stiff. Naruto was looking at her

"Hah! She should _be_ so lucky!" Naruto didn't realize the truth behind his words.

This time, the bottle pointed at Neji. "I claim an exemption," the boy said, breaking his silence. "We are cousins. Our fathers were twins. This would not be right."

"I have heard the term 'Kissing cousins'," Sai mentioned. Kinship was another issue that he was curious about.

"Another pervert," Naruto quipped. He then shook his head in disbelief, having to explain to Sai just what that meant.

"No," Neji said. Hinata shook her head. It wouldn't be right.

"It's the kind of thing they write about in steamy books," Kiba offered, grinning. He relished the chance to tease Neji, since that was such a rare opportunity. "Or bad amateur stories…."

"That's right," the Frog-Hermit whispered, crossing his fingers. That would make a great addition.

"I agree with Neji," Kurenai stated. "That is the one exception to the rule. Spin again, Hinata." Again, the spin. Again, the stop.

"Choji." Shikamaru looked over at his friend. This might be the only good part about the whole stupid game. Choji might pine over Ino, but that was simply his infatuation of the moment. As it was, he was very sensitive about the whole issue of the opposite sex, and had admitted the fear that he would never get kissed.

"Here…." Choji held a bag out to Shikamaru. "Hold this. You can have as many as you like." Trying to look brave, he stood up and walked over to Hinata. They kissed.

"Turnips." Hinata made a face and stuck out her tongue. That action had a number of people stunned. "He tasted like turnips…." She hated turnips. Sure enough, when Shikamaru read the bag, the label said 'Hot and Spicy Turnip Chips.'

"He _does_ kind of look like a turnip," Sai said. That had Naruto and Sakura berating him like mother hens.

Choji didn't even hear the exchange. He had even forgot about the bag of snacks that prompted it. There was only one word that meant anything to him now. If Fate was kind, it would pay him back for all the wrongs it had caused him. He would gladly cash in all his chips for this lucky strike. Whispering 'Ino', he spun the bottle.

Shikamaru had read his friends lips. He sighed. Talk about bothersome! If the bottle _did _end up pointing at Ino, who knows what might happen. He could imagine her erupting, saying any number of harmful things. Then again, Choji probably wouldn't care. Not if he had a chance to kiss Ino.

Ino hadn't needed top read her teammate's lips. She began waving her hands, faster and faster, as if she could somehow ward off the one outcome that would be worse than death. 'Anything but that', she mumbled. Her worst nightmare was about to unfold.

"Ino," Kurenai said. The bottle had stopped, and the girl had gone stiff. "Ino… snap out of it…." It almost looked like she had seen a ghost. The color had drained from her face.

"Alright Choji!" Naruto punched the air, happy for his friend.

"Kismet," Yugao said quietly.

"Here…." Kiba tossed something to Choji. "…Try some of these. They were breath mints. "They're long-lasting…." He laughed. "If you know what I mean." He put his hands behind his neck, smiled, and rocked back and forth, when he saw the light of inspiration hit Choji's eyes.

"Maybe the kiss will snap her out of it," Shizune said, after giving the stunned Ino a cursory exam.

"Like Sleeping Beauty," Sakura said. "Except that it's Ino." That brought Ino back. But, just as she was about to snarl something, Choji's kiss connected.

"_Mrbllfrblgrbll_…." Ino tried to speak with Choji's lips plastered to hers. Her arms shot straight out, and then flailed furiously. She ended up cross-eyed.

"OK…." Kurenai and Shikamaru gently disengaged Choji's arms after a minute. "I think she needs to breathe…."

That embrace was worth a sketch, Sai decided. But, he was shocked to have the pad torn from his grasp as he drew. Ino tore off the page… ripped it into confetti-sized pieces… and dropped an early snowfall on Sai's head. Obviously her feelings about the bow were a protean thing.

"I think you drew her thighs too fat," Naruto joked. "That's why she's mad." He then looked over at Ino. She shouldn't have done that to his friend. "No… that couldn't be it…." He was grateful when Sakura stepped in front of an irate Ino. Now was obviously not the time to tease the blue-eyed girl.

"Choji!" Kiba gave Choji a salute. "You the man!" In response, Choji smiled, suddenly feeling much better about himself, despite Ino's obvious discontent.

Naruto gave Choji a thumbs up. Seeing that, Lee repeated the gesture. Shino looked on and nodded. If it can happen to the large and oafish, it could happen to the quiet and mysterious. That's how he viewed himself. he did not care much for the concept of 'dark' and 'weird.'

Anko and Yugao exchanged a glance. They were glad that hadn't been one of them! But, the evening was relatively young. Who knew what might happen? The Hokage would certainly get an earful. And, if by some slight chance this were a hoax of some kind, someone would pay very dearly.

"Ino. Your turn." Shikamaru didn't sound the slightest bit jealous or unhappy. That did not sit well with Ino.

"Yes. It _is_." Ino stared at Shikamaru. If he was the lucky winner, she would make Choji's kiss look like a peck on the cheek. That sanctimonious bastard had it coming to him. Maybe he would even like it. No. No maybes. She would make sure of it! Resolute, she spun the bottle. If by chance it pointed at Choji, she would run screaming into the darkness. She crossed her heart and hoped to die if she didn't.

"Poor Sai," Sakura said. The bottle was pointing at the bemused artist. "Kurenai… don't you think we can make another exception…." She patted Sai on the shoulder in mock comfort. "This could set Sai back ten years…." Looking past Sai, she saw Naruto whispering into the other boy's ear.

"Very funny," Ino said. "Freaky Forehead girl." She brushed herself off, pushed her hair around a bit, and then moved over close to Sai. "You're probably just jealous."

Sai stood up. He made it a point to explore the whole idea of kissing when Ino's lips met his. As the embrace lengthened, he moved his hands. Before he knew it, he was sitting on his rump, the red outline of a palm and five fingers on his selling cheek.

"But… Naruto said…." Sai put a hand to his sore face. He had reached own and squeezed Ino's shapely behind during the smooch.

"Naruto!" Sakura wasn't coming to Ino's defense, necessarily. It was another Naruto-moment. "What did you tell Sai?"

"Just something I read in a book." Naruto shrugged. He had read a number of Jiraiya's _Icha Icha_ volumes. Little did he know that his hairy mentor was sporting a huge grin, a mere seven yards away.

"I can imagine," Kurenai said with a rather sour look. Shizune sighed. She had always worried what a nice boy like Naruto might have picked up from a dirty old man like the Frog Hermit.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata looked down at her sandals.

"It's alright," Ino said, willing to forgive Sai. "At least I got to kiss Sai!" She frowned. No response from Shikamaru, still. Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot.

"Sai, it's your turn to spin," Sakura said.

"Understood," Sai replied, spinning the bottle. This time, it stopped on Yugao.

"Lucky dog!" Kiba stared over at the beautiful ANBU member. Kurenai was pretty too; but, he couldn't dream about kissing his mentor. Yugao was a different story.

"**AROOO-_OO-O_**…." Akamaru's howl had everyone jumping.

"Is he going to do that every time someone says dog?" Naruto cringed, hands over his ears.

"I guess it had to happen," Yugao said quietly. "Let's get this over with." She kissed Sai perfunctorily, and then took her seat again. Resting her hand on the bottle, she gave it a spin without further adieu. It stopped just to the side of Kiba. It pointed at Akamaru.

"K-…." Shikamaru couldn't get the name out before something flashed past him. It was the dog.

Akamaru licked Yugao's face. Obviously, he thought that he had been included in the game. Turning to trot back to his place, he stopped, cocked his head, and lolled out his tongue again. Before anyone could guess what was on his canine mind, he ran to Yugao again and began humping her leg.

There was a huge explosion. A furry form went tumbling past, out into the evening, his yowls diminishing in the distance. Nobody could tell just what kind of jutsu or weapon had been used.

"I…." Kurenai coughed from the smoke. "I suggest that Akamaru stay outside from now on." She waited until some of the fumes had cleared. "I suppose the bottle was close enough to you, Kiba."

Kiba's eyes lit up. Even if he couldn't get an enjoyable kiss out of this, he would still earn terrific bragging rights. She really was one choice babe! He frowned when Yugao put on her white animal mask. "Hey…."

"I'll allow it," Shikamaru said, wondering just how more bothersome things could get. "Considering everything that happened."

Kiba made a face and then accepted his fate. Sighing, he kissed the purple-haired kunoichi on her ANBU mask. Then, with bad graces, he kicked the bottle to set it moving. It spun to Hinata. "Great," Kiba moped. "Just great."

Hinata was getting better at accepting her fate. After kissing Kiba, and wrinkling her nose at the familiar odor of dog, she spun the bottle and kissed Shino. Distateful to her, the event would have passed without too much discomfort, had a large group of bugs not appeared out of nowhere.

"My apologies," Shino apologized. "Premature release."

"_Eeee-uuuw_…." Ino made a face. The other girls followed suit.

"Heh… I can spice that one up a bit," Jiraiya said with a big grin. He knew what must have happened. But, of course, he couldn't see everything from that angle, right? A little imagination would have to go a long way.

The tension grew really thick, now. Aburame Shino was spinning. That meant that some other unlucky girl might have to look forward to the same thing again.

"Hope you don't shoot your wad again," Kiba added helpfully, correctly guessing how the girls thought about his teammate. "Of chakra bugs, I mean…."

"What else might he have meant?" Sai raised an eyebrow.

"If you tell him…." Sakura spoke directly to Naruto, not stopping to wonder just how inexperienced her demonstrative team member might actually be. "You'll be sorry…."

"No." Ino looked rather spooky. "He'll be dead." Magically back in her 'Sai-can-do-no wrong' state of mind, she looked over at the spinning bottle. It stopped on Anko. The room went silent this time. But, it was different. This was more like the silence of a tomb.

"Splendid," Anko said, looking over at Shino. At least the boy looked the same he usually did. No idiotic fawning. No foolish and immature joking. No shiver of fear. "My lucky day." She considered her approach. She could do the kiss. No way. She'd rather kiss a snake than that boy. There was no Truth she was concerned about, and no Dare she couldn't handle. No. It was time to liven things up a bit. Danger was her business, and business was usually quite good. She stood up. "What should I take off?"

"Off?" Shino looked perplexed.

"Yes," Anko said. "Clothing. What should I take off? My tunic or my pants?'

Shikamaru put his hands on his forehead. Trust that woman to make things more troublesome. Kiba looked at war with himself. On one hand, a mature woman taking off any article of clothing was a nig turn on. Then again, not that twisted woman. He remembered what she had done to Naruto outside of the Forest of Death.

"That…." Shino coughed. It took a lot to knock him off balance. Usually the only thing that rattled his cage was being overlooked by people, just the way he was when Naruto first returned to the village. He tried to say 'How about your stockings', or 'A shoe will do'. His throat still felt thick. "Your choice."

"Anko…." Kurenai was not amused. There was decorum to think of. Then again, anything that distanced Anko from her usual obsessions might not be such a bad thing.

"Yes?" Anko laughed at Kurenai. She considered the other woman to be a bit too proper. "Any way… I think it will be the pants…." She smiled. The Akimichi boy had his hands over his nose. Blood trickled out from between his fingers. "My ass still hurts… after that rather dramatic greeting…." She looked over at Naruto. As she slid out of her pants, she chuckled, seeing Sakura put both hands over Naruto's eyes, and then remembering Sai, move one hand to his face.

Jiraiya pressed his face against the chill wood of the building, wishing he had made the spy hole larger and closer to the action. Ten Ten looked over at Neji, relieved to see that he wasn't staring like the other boys. Poor Lee looked like he was about to pass out.

"Time to spin." Anko set the bottle in motion. When it stopped at Naruto, she smiled a wicked smile that would have had the Chesire cat quitting the grin business. "What good luck." She took out her sequestered kunai and caressed it, before running her tongue over it. Touching her tongue, she brought away a finger tinted by fresh blood. "A dream come true."

"But…." Naruto froze. Enemies were often predictable. Even when they were not, he often figured out what to do when faced off against them. But, Anko was not an enemy. She was much _much_ worse.

"Exactly," Anko said, wincing in exaggerated fashion when he touched her rear end. A Thousand Years of Pain? The boy would be lucky if she let him off _that_ easy!

Sakura thought back to the day that she, Naruto, and Sasuke had done the Test of the Bells with the Copy Ninja. That's where Kakashi had first exposed them to the jutsu in question. She was brought out of her reminsiscence by a tug on one sleeve.

"Will we be needing a new partner?" Sai kept a straight face.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone looked over at Naruto.

Sai's question may have been partly in jest, but no one found the situation remotely funny. No one but Anko, that is.

"Oh… don't worry your pretty little head…." Anko waved at Sai. "I'm not going to kill the little wretch…."

Naruto let out a long breath. He hadn't really thought that Anko would kill him or anything. There must be some other logical explanation for the sheen of sweat covering his skin.

"You'd be amazed what someone can live through," Anko added, making a show of nibbling on her fingernail. "I've learned so much… speaking with Morino Ibiki…." She smiled sweetly. "Not that I'm bragging or anything."

"**Anko." **Kurenai's voice was stern. Now was not the rime for any of the other woman's questionable behavior. "The kunai." She held out her hand.

"_This _little thing?" Anko swung the blade back and forth like a pendulum, a few inches from Naruto's face. "If you insist." She sneered. "You always _were _a real stick in the mud." She shrugged, and then gave the other jounin the weapon. "I don't know what Asuma sees in you."

"It's probably… _owwww-www-ww-w_…" Sai had started to speak, but twitched when Sakura pinched him hard on one arm.

"Did you have something to say?" Anko sized up Sai. She didn't know what to make of the boy. In some ways, his look reminded her of the Uchiha boy, the one who had run off to train with that bastard Orochimaru. But, this young man was a total cipher, a real puzzle. Just what hid behind that placid exterior? Was he truly a blank page of sorts, one he was slowly drawing a life onto? Tonight, he was serving as a locus of unexpected words and actions. She didn't mind that one bit!

"No… he didn't…." Sakura spoke quickly, and gave Sai another pinch for good measure. She had no idea what he might have been about to say. Either way, it could not be good. The one thing they did not need now was more trouble.

"I see," Anko smiled. "Is _that_ what they train people to do in Root these days?" She itched behind one ear. "To let women do all the talking for you?" That kind of answer would have the Uzumaki boy shouting out a denial in no time. It ought to be equally effective with Sai, seeing that he was honest to a fault.

"No," Sai answered. "But… upon thinking… it might be wise to keep certain things to myself. If I am correct, saying too much can be worse than saying nothing at all." He had reason enough to know that on his own merits. But, his trouble with saying too much was nothing compared to Naruto's. In that way, Naruto was as good a teacher as Kakashi and ANBU instructors he had worked with.

"That's very true, Sai." Shikamaru said. "It's amazing how some people _never_ catch on." He paid no attention to the look that Naruto gave him.

"Exactly." Sakura nodded her head. So did Shizune, Kurenai, and Ino.

"It was probably something dirty," Anko drawled. "I bet you have some naked sketches of Kurenai in there, _don't_ you?" She pointed to the boy's sketch pad. "You probably have pictures of _all _the girls."

"That is not true," Sai said reflexively. ". I was merely going to offer an explanation, repeating something that Naruto told me." He could have stopped there. He _should_ have stopped there. But, being one who had talked so little earlier in his life, he found himself inexplicable speaking too much nowadays. "He told me in confidence that Kurenai had a 'sweet ass' and a 'nice rack'." He blinked rapidly. "Rack of what?"

"…" Naruto opened his mouth to yell at Sai again. Nothing came out. He watched as Kurenai went stiff and turned her head in his direction as if she were a golem or a deadly animated statue. When he saw Kiba give him an angry stare, it was too much for him. "Hey! Kiba! Don't look at me like that. _You_ probably think the same thing. You just won't say it because she's your sensei!" He stuck out his chin and lower lip.

"Naruto, you pig." Ino made a face. She didn't see the irony in her words, seeing what Sakura used to call her.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata rubbed her fingers together hard enough to hurt.

"But… it…." Naruto frowned. At times, he was the type of person who might try to get out of a hole by digging deeper down instead of climbing out. "They all think the same thing! Every single one of them." He put his hand in the air. "Show of hands…." Not a single boy followed suit, no matter what they thought. "Bunch of liars…."

"Sometimes you can be such a jerk." Sakura put a hand to her head. Every time she though that Naruto was getting better, and wiser, and more mature, he did something that had her doubting he would ever get better. One step forward, two steps back.

"Maybe we should get back to the game," Shizune offered. She sighed. Over the years, she had grown to trust Tsundae's judgment, despite the Hokage's blind spot with gambling. But, was this kind of situation truly a good way to foster togetherness?

"I'm in no rush," Anko said, sounding rather pleased. "I'm having fun." She stretched, and then smiled. "You _could_ give me the knife back…." She looked over at Kurenai.

"Shizune is right," Kurenai said, ignoring Anko. "The bottle pointed at you, Naruto. You have the same choices that everyone else had. A kiss. A Truth. A Dare. Or…." She hesitated. Maybe it would be better if she simply omitted the last option. "Remove an article of clothing."

"You could also ask for Seven Minutes in Hell," Anko added helpfully.

"Wasn't that Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Lee scratched his head. Had kissing a girl altered his memory? Maybe the things that Gai said about women were true!

"Do I _really _need to answer?" Anko licked her lips. She grinned, seeing Naruto look frantic for a moment. Then, she had to grudgingly admit some admiration, when he squared his shoulders and widened his stance.

"OK. I'm not afraid." It was the usual Naruto bluster. That requirement out of the way, his subconscious took over. The rush of his exploit long gone, he felt bad about the jutsu he had used on Anko. "And… well… you know…." He stuck out his lower lip. "I'm sorry about the trick I pulled.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata nodded her head and smiled. That was more like the Naruto that she idolized. She noticed Kiba roll his eyes.

"It's too late for that," Anko said. She was conflicted. Maybe she shouldn't frighten or humiliate the boy after all. No. Who was she fooling?

"**Fine!" **Naruto lifted his chin. He was not going to back down. A Dare was no big deal? He could get past anything. The Truth was no big deal either, unless someone asked about Kyuubi. But, Kurenai and the other jounin would not allow him to answer that kind of question even if he wanted too. He could take off his shirt. That would foil whatever plan she might have. But, he would end up feeling like a coward. That was not his Ninja way! "A kiss, then. Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." The _real_ question was whether or not she was as bad as everyone else thought she was.

"Way to go, Naruto." Kiba was impressed. No matter how impulsive Naruto may be at times, there was no denying that the other boy had guts.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stood and struck a pose. "The burning power of youth!" He clenched his fists. It looked like his eyes were two hot coals. "A shining example for all of us…."

"We really have to find Lee some hobbies," Ten Ten whispered to Neji.

"Mmm-mm-m…." Anko raised one eyebrow. "Going to play the hero again?" She waited a moment for on of the boy's characteristic response. Hearing none, she tugged at one ear, seeing the fierce look of determination in his eyes. "What's the matter? Cat's got your tongue." her eyes widened ever so slightly. She had an extremely wicked thought. Yes, it was a wonderful idea.

It started off like a normal tame kiss. Before Naruto knew what had happened, Anko dipped him, just the way leading men used to do the screen heroines in the old black and white films. It almost seemed like her lips were glued to his. Snot shot down from Choji's nose. Lee froze. Sakura shouted. Hinata felt as if her heart were about to explode.

Deep into the kiss, Anko figured correctly that everyone would be focused on their lips. Expertly, she worked a number of jutsu. The first, a practical technique for an assassin, made it so Naruto wouldn't be able to say a word for a short period of time. Not only that, it would cause him to make garbled noises, perfect for her act. After that was set, she began spinning low level genjutsus, ones that shouldn't draw much attention. She let her kissing partner fall to the ground.

"_Grblgrlblmrpglfrbll_…." Naruto struggled to speak. In the orange light of the fire, an illusion made it look as if there was blood around his mouth.

"I have you to thank for that idea," Anko said to Kiba, after pretending to pull something out of her mouth and palm it in her hand. "You were the one who brought up the subject of tongues, _weren't_ you?" She tossed something to the boy. She had to keep from bursting out in laugher when she saw the expression on his face, after he caught what appeared to be a human tongue. "Seeing how noisy the brat has been, I suppose I did everyone a favor by shutting him up for good!"

"**NARUTO!" **Sakura sped to Naruto's side. Sai was close behind.

"You…." Ino tuned as pale as a sheet. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

"N-No." Hinata looked truly shocked.

"That wasn't very funny," Kurenai said. She had caught on near the end. Her words went unheard, seeing that Anko was laughing too loud to hear anyone else at the moment.

"You…." Anko fought for breath. "You should all have seen…." She held her sides as if she were worried that she might split in half if she didn't. "You should have seen your faces. You especially." She walked over and tweaked Kiba's cheek. "Big… tough… boy."

"You're lucky no one acted before you clued them in." Yugao did not approve of that trick. "But… at least it served as another good lesson….." She grudgingly admitted that fact. "Things are not always what hey might seem. Most of you fell for simple misdirection." She hadn't been fooled.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to say that he had not been fooled. But, it didn't matter to him. It was more trouble to speak up in denial than to sit back and be silent. Looking over at Neji, he saw the other boy nod his head, a tacit admittance that he was feeling much the same way.

"_Frblgrbllmrphlgrbrr_…." Naruto gesticulated wildly, trying to get his own point across. "Th-… Tha-… That…." He obviously was not amused. His ire growing hotter by the moment, he decided to go for broke. Personal safety was not an issue. Trumping Anko's little slight-of-hand trick was. He went through a series of hand seals, barely able to gasp out the words _Kage Bunshin No Jutsu._

Most of the other shinobi would have expected him to fill the room with clones, and then to enact some kind of mass retribution. Instead, he had only called up one shadow clone. It was all that he needed. Before Anko knew what was happening, the clone had stepped up and grabbed hold of the rim of her undergarments. Grunting, it pulled up with all its strength. The sound of tearing fabric was lost in the general hubbub.

The wedgie wasn't as painful for the startled jounin as it might have been for one of her male counterparts. But, it wasn't about pain. Anko had lived with pain on many occasions. This was about humiliation. Worse, he had one-upped her. That was unforgivable!

Kurenai made a curt gesture with her hand. The three members of her team moved immediately, surrounding Anko. Following suit, Neji, Ten Ten and Lee joined them. It as a good time to make sure that things did not get out of hand in some kind of regrettable fashion.

"That's right. A good lesson." Naruto was too stoked to take what he could get. He had to push his luck. "Expect the unexpected. And, almost anything can be made into a weapon." He grinned. _"Atomic Panties No Jutsu."_

"It's alright," Anko insisted, shaking off everyone's hands. "I'm not going to go berserk." She looked over at Naruto. Truth be told, most of her anger was directed at herself. She had been caught by two similar attacks in the same day. That was inexcusable. But, she had to admit it was a dastardly move in its own right. "Naruto shows some promise." Still, she was a true master of psychological warfare. "I just hope the bottle pairs us up again. You. Me. The closet. I'll either make you a man… or make sure you'll never truly be one…."

Naruto felt his mouth go bone dry. He could picture both scenarios quite vividly. She was just joking, right? _Right?_ He usually wasn't one for prayer. Usually. Swallowing hard, he began to fervently pray that he and Anko were never at the other end of the other's bottle. Seeing Kiba's jaunty salute, he decided against returning the gesture.

Outside in the darkness, the Frog Hermit took a break and leaned back, looking up at the night sky, a satisfied grin on his face. He was a damn good author… at least in his own opinion. But, as amazing as his own imagination might be, he never could have conjured up a scene like that last one.

It was with a slight tremor that Naruto sent the bottle spinning again. He looked noticeably elated when the slowing tip inched past Anko. It stopped at Ino.

"Of course." Ino closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"That which doesn't kill you…." Shikamaru spoke quietly. He thought of all of the times that Ino had pressured him in some subtle way. Now she was getting a chance to see what it was like when the shoe was on the other foot. Still, there was some slight twinge inside him. Maybe that was simply a case of indigestion. "…Makes you stronger."

Naturally, Sakura looked rather dyspeptic herself. Old habits died hard. Once, Ino had been her closest friend, back when everyone else teased her or pushed her away. But, their pointless rivalry over Sasuke had changed things, and not for the better. Things had seemed to be improving after they had grown older, and Sasuke had left the village. Appearances can be deceiving. Was this simply a rebirth of old feelings? Or, were her feelings for her orange-clad teammate greater than she realized?

Seeing the look on Sakura's face, Ino tossed her hair and stood up. That would make things easier for her. Indeed it would. Without a hint of trepidation, she walked over to Naruto. He was far too unsettled at the moment to cause any trouble. The same wasn't true for everyone.

"Now would be a good time to fart!" Kiba called out in the middle of Ino and Naruto's kiss. The memory of his match against Naruto at the chuunin exams would probably never fade. He laughed out loud when the two broke their embrace abruptly.

"Jerk." Ino turned up her nose. But, in a distant corner of her mind, she felt a stirring of gratitude. That unexpected remark had cut the kiss short, and no one would be likely to demand a redo.

"Hey!" Naruto didn't look very pleased. "I was holding it in!" Once gain, he had given out more than anyone needed to hear. Not a very useful trait in a ninja. "I think… well… I'm going to take a walk outside." Moments later, a loud and explosive sound echoed through the night air.

"Maybe Ino should be excused from the rest of the game," Choji said. "She was close to death." That actually brought a subtle smile to Shikamaru's face. He sighed when Ino didn't do the same.

"**_Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stood, a faraway look in his eyes. "It is a shinobi's duty to face death with daring and dignity!"

"It was a joke," Neji said. Sometimes Lee's spoken reflexes outran even his considerable physical reactions. It was his duty and Ten Ten's to reign him in when necessary. They were the calm that balanced out Gai's storm.

"I'm not so sure." Shino pulled the free edge of his cowl over his nose. He had caught a whiff of something blowing into the building on a sudden gust of wind. He frowned. One of the chakra bugs had crawled out, flipped on its back, and begun twitching its legs. It went still.

"**Gah!" **Jiraiya had plastered his hand over his nose and held his breath as long as he could, not only to keep from passing out, but also to keep from giving away his position. Naruto had walked perilously close before relieving the pent up gas his intestinal system had build up during his dramatic encounter with Anko. Luckily, he had made more than one peep hole for this building. Hearing an anguished howl, he began to worry about the fact that Akamaru was roaming around outside. He would need to take measures to disguise his scent.

Ino looked like she had indeed escaped some kind of natural catastrophe. She couldn't look over at Naruto when he walked back into. Instead, she gave the bottle a spin.

The bottle stopped at Kiba. Of course, it had to anyone but Shikamaru! But, at least the kiss went off without a hitch. In fact, after that, for a surprising stretch of time, things went the way they might go at any civilian _Spin The Bottle_ fest. Kiba kissed Sakura. Sakura exchanged a kiss with Shikamaru, without making an effort to show up Ino. Shikamaru paired up with Shizune on his turn. Shizune spun, and shared a kiss with Neji. Neji kissed Kurenai. Kurenai kissed Lee. Lee kissed Yugao. Yugao's spin stopped at Neji.

"It's _good_ to be a jounin," Kiba quipped, seeing that Neji had kissed Shizune and Kurenai in succession, and now had a chance to kiss yet another mature woman.

"All he needs is Anko to complete the set," Choji said. He was taken aback when everyone glared at him. It was just a joke! "Uhhh… chips?" He offered a fresh bag around. He almost dropped the snacks when Anko accepted a chip. She smiled, seeing that her reputation was very much intact.

His brief smoochathon with the ANBU kunoichi over, Neji went and spun the bottle again. Behind her back, out of view from everyone else but a skulking Jiraiya, Ten Ten had her fingers crossed.

"Anko! Anko! Anko!" Kiba followed Choji?s lead. He was disappointed, seeing that Neji's expression barely changed.

"Anko… Anko… Anko…." Naruto decided to join in, seeing that it was at someone else's expense this time. If he could joke about the dark-haired jounin girl, he might be able to break up the knot he felt in his stomach. "Come on, Sai." Sai looked at Sakura. He decided not to participate. "OK. You join in, Lee."

Lee stood up. What was he doing standing up? Should he join in with his friends? Was this appropriate behavior for a shinobi of the Leaf? What about Anko? Would she feel slighted? Might she harbor a grudge? What would Gai-sensei do?

"Never mind, Lee." Naruto made a face. "Too late." Indeed, the bottle had stopped. There was a hush in the room. Ten Ten was the lucky winner.

"**Perfect!" **Sakura blushed, saying out loud what she had been thinking.

"For once I have to agree with you," Ino said. Like Sakura, she knew about Ten Ten's crush on Neji.

"Brother Neji," Hinata said, calling her cousin by one of her names for him. She too was aware of Ten Ten's feelings, but had kept her word never to tell him, despite the fact that she owed a debt to family.

Ten Ten felt a sense of anticipation growing. She maintained a calm and expressionless exterior, knowing that Neji would not appreciate any unseemly display of emotion at this time. She felt as if she were about to explode. He hadn't said a word. His expression didn't change. What if he chose Truth? Or Dare? Or the clothing? She would die!

"Welll-ll-l?" Choji was chewing as he spoke, crumbs spraying. He had picked up on the tension. This was like watching reality TV? "You going to kiss her, Neji?"

"_Shhh-hh-h!"_ Ino shushed her large teammate, not wanting him to ruin this.

"Always so bossy," Shikamaru said, thinking of the way that his mother always jerked her father about, as if he were one of Kankouro's mechanical creations.

"It is my duty, is it not?" Neji's flat response let the air out of all the girls. Fortunately it was a figurative thing, not a literal release as had been the case with Naruto.

"Yes… right…." Ten Ten struggled to maintain a cheerful face. "Duty.…" Was he just saying that to save face? Did he truly feel that way? Might he have some feelings he was keeping hidden from himself? How could she ever know? "I… if it's OK… I would ask for a slight addition to the rules…."

"Of course," Shikamaru said, wrinkling his nose.

"What is it that you want?" Kurenai spoke softly, aware of the younger woman's emotional predicament. Hinata had not divulged the secret to her cousin, but had talked over matters with her mentor. The parallels to her own situation had brought the subject up by accident.

"I… you see…." Ten Ten stood straighter. Neji would respect courage and simple honest speech. "Instead of Seven Minutes in Heaven, could I have seven minutes outside?" She looked over at Neji. "I… I would like a chance to walk about a bit." Walk, and try to explain things to Neji. It would be difficult, in its own way. But, how could she hold back now, after seeing how hard Lee and Neji worked at practice and in missions?

"Any objections?" Shikamaru looked around the room, shrugged, and then waved lazily at Kurenai.

"Hearing none… go ahead…." Kurenai nodded her head.

"Hey! How about me? Can I go outside and walk a bit, too?" Naruto stood up. He had a strange look on his face.

"What?" Shikamaru scowled. "What will happen outside is none of _your_ concern." He watched as Neji and Ten Ten disappeared into the black of night.

"I know! I know!" Naruto was pressing his legs tightly together. "I have to take a piss!"

"Thanks for sharing," Ino said.

"**Moron!" **Sakura swept her leg out, knocking Naruto's feet out from under him. He landed with a painful grunt.

"I bet he asks the same thing when they put the Tricorner Hat on his head," Anko sniped. She still couldn't imagine that boy as Hokage. But, stranger things had happened. She smirked, seeing him stand up and dance from one foot to the other.

"There's a bathroom in the back of this building," Shizune offered helpfully. "Over there." She pointed to the distant end of the longhouse.

"Don't forget to lift the toilet seat!" Kiba laughed, happy to rile up the girls. "I brought some magazines with me, if you want to borrow them. _If_ you know what I mean."

"Magazines?" Sai cocked his head in that way of his. "Why would one wish to read while he was urinating?"

"**Never mind!" **Sakura interjected quickly.

"Ignore Kiba," Ino added. "Like the rest of us."

'Ignore Kiba', Kiba mouthed. 'Like the rest of us'. He could just let the matter drop. But, that wouldn't be him! "Ino will explain things to you later," Kiba said to Sai. "Just ask her about the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Or, Keeping Your Sausage Hostage. Left Hand Lift Off." He had to keep from laughing. Sai was busy scribbling things down. "Tickle the Trout. Snapping the Carrot." He had a million of them.

"Hah!" Jiraiya chuckled. "Haven't heard the trout one for ages!" He grinned, thinking back years in the past. He had discussed a similar topic at training one day. Sarutobi had acted stern, but looked secretly pleased. Orochimaru looked as if his hairy teammate had crawled out from under a rock. Tsunade had not taken kindly to the subject matter.

"**_INUZUKA KIBA!" _**Kurenai sounded rather pissed. Enough was enough. That boy was going to be in for a world of trouble when the team was back at practice. "That will be enough of that!"

"So? I should not ask Miss Yamana about these?" Sai looked over at Ino. He instinctively took a half-step backwards, seeing the women all turn in his direction. For an instant, their eyes looked to be glowing red, and their faces looked like those of stone gargoyles he had seen on ancient temples. "I… I was just asking…."

"Hey!" Naruto returned, at just the wrong moment, of course. "What did I miss?"

"Not one word," Sakura admonished Sai. A moment later, she tore off the offending page and ripped it up.

"It must have been something good!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Somebody tell me!"

"I suggest you button your fly and sit down," Yugao said. She found the teenage shenanigans tedious. They hadn't been all that much fun when she was their age, either.

"Huh?" Naruto looked down, blushed, and turned away. "Oh." Problem taken care of, he sat down with bad graces and rested his chin on his hands. Sai would tell him later. After that, he would make certain to mention it in front of Sakura for the next few days.

While everyone waited for Neji and Ten Ten, Kurenai went over a number of teaching points from recent missions. She was determined that a few useful things would come out of this debacle. When the two absent ninjas returned… a good bit later than seven minutes… everyone went silent.

Ten Ten was fighting a losing battle. She couldn't hide her smile. Neji, on the other hand, looked befuddled, an appearance that no one could ever remember seeing before. Gently, Ten Ten lead her teammate to his spot and helped him sit down. He wasn't smiling; but, he wasn't frowning either.

"Hey, Neji…." Naturally, Kiba was first to speak. "How'd it go?" He grinned, the points of his teeth showing. "She give you the Gentle Palm?"

"**Hah!"** Naruto pointed at Kiba. He got that one.

"Gentle Palm?" It was Lee's turn to look perplexed. "You mean _Jūken_, the Gentle Fist, don't you?"

"…" Sai grimaced in pain. Before he even had chance to speak, Sakura had elbowed him in the gut. What was the harm with being curious?

"You will excuse us, I hope." Kurenai looked like she had swallowed a nest of hornets. Standing, she walked over and took firm hold on Kiba's ear. Dragging the wincing boy, she made her way outside. The yelps of pain that followed had everyone feeling sympathy for the boy, despite his numerous transgressions.

When Kiba returned, he was unable to sit down for a lengthy period of time. That was convenient, since Ten Ten's subsequent spin of the bottle earmarked him for her kiss. After that, he kissed Ino, and she went on to kiss Shino. Shino kissed Shizune. Shizune kissed Sai. Sai kissed Hinata, Hinata kissed Shikamaru, and Shikamaru kissed Anko. That kiss went off without a hitch. Well, for the most part. After getting Ino's attention, Anko French-kissed a helpless Shikamaru in textbook fashion.

"Good thing she doesn't have a tongue like Orochimaru, _right _Shikamaru?" Naruto smiled. "That would probably have choked you to death."

Shikamaru didn't answer. He sat back down, looking even more annoyed than usual. Ino didn't look too happy herself.

When Anko spun, Choji was the lucky recipient. During the kiss, Naruto took over Kiba's role as troublemaker. "Hey! Choji! Is that a pickle in your pocket, or are you happy to see her?" That earned him a quick cuff from Sakura.

"_He _doesn't get dragged outside," Kiba grumped.

Who knows what kind of mischief Anko might have intended, if any. Naruto's remark had her breaking things off, shortly after it had begun. Moments later, the shinobi sighed in relief, even though most didn't realize that they had done so. As it turned out, it _had_ been a pickle. Everyone winced when Choji unwrapped snack and bit into it.

Still chewing noisily, Choji spun the bottle. Being considerate, he swallowed and wiped his mouth before kissing Hinata. The look on her face made it clear that she didn't care for pickles, either. With a dejected look on her face, Hinata next kissed Sai. Sai kissed Sakura, causing Naruto to applaud. He barely managed to dodge a kick to the head from his pink-haired teammate. Tired of Naruto's accumulated antics, Sakura gave the bottle a hard spin. The glass vessel bounced off the floor a few times before easing into a smooth rotation.

"Yes, I _am_ a genius." Jiraiya was busy gloating. He was leafing through the notes he had taken up to that point, the light of the moon barely adequate for that task. "Best of all, Tsunade will get the credit." Things were working out great. He had originally thought to make the mission _Strip Spin The Bottle_, but had guessed that such a drastic order might be refused, despite the usual 'Do it for the Leaf' spirit. A little circumspection had brought a big pay-off!

Meanwhile, inside, Rock Lee was going through his usual mantra. 'Sakura-chan… Sakura-chan… Sakura-chan…." He stared at the bottle, trying to exert his warrior's spirit on it. He would give anything, if the bottle pointed to him! His efforts were unnecessary.

"Oh no…." Sakura brought her hand up to her mouth. The bottle had slowed considerable. There was only one person it could point to, if it didn't go too far and prompt a re-spin. "No… please…."

"**_AHHHHH-HHHH-HHH-HH-H-!-!-!" _**Lee shouted at the top of his lungs, as he leapt upward with all his energy. His patience had finally paid off. The planets had aligned. After a resounding sound of something breaking, pieces of wood rained down, along with a rusty pipe, some metal fasteners, and an old bird's nest. He had misjudged his strength and punched a hole in the roof. He hung suspended, his arm stuck. He didn't seem to mind one bit.

"We should help him down," Neji said, looking over at Ten Ten. He lowered his eyes, uncertain what to make of the look on her face or the feeling inside his chest.

When Lee was back on his feet, her stood staring at Sakura. "Sakura-chan," he whispered. Before that name dies on his lips, countless squishy heart shapes materialized around the room. They began spinning around him in a growing cloud. Everyone began swatting the ridiculous things away.

"Just like _Aedes konohicus,"_ Shino claimed, dodging some of the swarming hearts. "Mosquitoes," he added, seeing the blank expressions on his friends' faces.

"Hey! Stay away from me!" Naruto formed a number of shadow clones, who busied themselves with skewering hearts on their kunai or kicking them out of mid-air. "It's Sakura you want." The hearts probably couldn't respond to anyone's requests. But, whatever the cause, the coalesced, hovered, and then headed straight for Sakura en masse. She did everything she could to dodge them, looking like a human pogo stick and billiard ball at times. One kiss would be bad enough!

Finally, panting and near total exhaustion, Sakura stood bend over, drenched with sweat. She looked over at Lee the way a crippled seal looks at a relentless killer whale. She tried to steel herself. It was just a kiss. It was no big deal. No big thing at all!

Ino smiled. She would have given anything for a bag of popcorn. Almost as if he could read her mind, Choji held up his next bag of treats. It was puffed and buttered popcorn. Seeing that it was a special occasion, the blue-eyed girl accepted. Then, she set about trying to make her friend feel more comfortable with her fate.

"Hey… Sakura… (munch munch munch)…." Ino dabbed at the corner of her mouth with one sleeve. "Don't you just adore men with big bushy eyebrows?"

"I…." Sakura jerked, as if she had been hit by a crossbow bolt, or had stepped on a live wire.

"Sakura-chan." Lee's eyes looked to be shaped like Cupid's favorite target.

"And… don't you just love green stretchy suits… (munch munch munch)…. " Ino had a hard time smiling and chewing at the same time.

"It's…." Sakura tried to be brave, but found herself leaning backward. If Sai hadn't supported her, she would have toppled over.

"My dearest Sakura-chan." Lee leaned forward. It took remarkable strength to stand upward against the pull of gravity. He was angled far forward, with only his toes touching the ground. His lips moved like those of a fish out of water.

"Mmmm-mmm-mm-m… and (munch munch munch)…." Ino had finished the bag in record time. That had Choji staring at her doe-eyed. "Don't you find bowl-type haircuts to be the biggest turn on?" She pulled down on both lower eyelids. "Large eyes, too?"

"But…." Sakura looked frazzled. It took all of her self-control to hold herself together. She was not about to lose control in front of Naruto and Sai. She also had no intention of disappointing Shizune. Most of all, she refused to give Ino too much satisfaction. But, for one brief moment, she came close to crackling. She started bargaining with the cosmos, promising to forget all about bringing Sasuke back home if only she could avoid this horrid fate.

"Sakura-chan. I love you." Lee looked possessed, like a zombie animated by romance instead of dark magic.

"Hey! Lee!" Of course, Naruto was not likely to help matters. "If you mess up this kiss, you have to do one thousand more." He grinned a closed-eye grin. Those eyes snapped open after Sakura rammed a fist into his mid-section. Groaning, he turned blue in the face, fighting for air.

Sakura looked over at the bushy-browed boy, her feet frozen to the ground as she watched her doom approaching. Had the citizens of Pompeii felt this way? How about the victims of the Great Flood? The 'Inner Sakura' looked catatonic, sitting hunched over in a dark corner of her mind. Life as she knew it was about to end.

"It will be alright," Shizune said, an amused smile on her lips.

Sakura closed her eyes and puckered her lips. It would be over soon. She had lived through worse things. Maybe this would get things out of Lee's system. Unable to help herself, she opened her eyes. Bushy Eyebrows! They were so close. They looked so large. Her 'fight or flight' response kicked in. She almost bolted.

"Lee…." Ino waited until Lee had started his kiss. "Remember the burning fire of youth!" That acted like an on switch. Or, maybe it was the key to opening the eight gates in the green-suited boy's heart. His arms wrapped around Sakura like pythons. His usual shy demeanor fell way, as he kissed the apple of his eye with everything he had.

"He's a freaking machine," Kiba said, slapping a hand on his knee.

"Oh my." Hinata blushed. She was glad that Lee hadn't kissed _her_ like that.

Naruto's big grin slowly turned into a frown. Maybe he was just a little bit jealous, seeing someone else kissing Sakura like that. Maybe he felt somewhat envious, seeing that none of his own kisses had turned out that way. Maybe it was the pitiful way that the pink-haired girl's hands flapped, like the victim of a particular heinous jutsu.

Without a single word being spoken, Naruto, Sai, Neji, and Shikamaru moved. They carefully pulled Lee off of Sakura, amazed at the popping sound that resulted from their lips disengaging. When she could stand again, a very shaken Sakura checked to see if any of her teeth were loose.

"It looks like Lee won't be in any shape to spin the bottle for a while," Kurenai observed. Ten Ten had shepherded the young man back to his place, but he seemed quite oblivious of the world around him. "I'll spin for him." The bottle pointed at Ino. After giving the unmoving Lee a quick kiss, Ino set the bottle spinning yet again.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Shikamaru griped. He did not believe in precognition. He was not a very big adherent to the concept of Destiny. But, he was quite familiar with the subject of bad luck. Bad luck and coincidence. Ten Ten had gotten what she had been after. So had Lee. Stuck in a rather pessimistic state of mind, knowing all too well what Ino might wish for, he fully expected the bottle to point at him. It did. "I chose Truth."

Ino's triumph went to tragedy in the blink of an eye. First, there had been Sakura's comeuppance. Then, there had been her lucky spin. For one fleeting instant, everything seemed good in the world. Now, it felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her feet.

Everyone turned to stare at Shikamaru. No one said a thing. Seeing that, the boy shook his head and mumbled "So damn troublesome." Looking over at a crestfallen Ino, he did something he rarely ever did. He went back on a decision. "I change my mind. I will take the kiss."

"You will?" Ino didn't smile. She smiled a brave smile and spoke with an even voice. "That's alright. You can take Truth. I don't want to force you or anything."

"Shikamaru?" Choji's voice was a bit thick. He wanted Ino to like him, more than anything else in the world. It would not be in his interest to have his best friend develop feelings for their teammate. But, deep down, he was the sensitive sort, probably because of all the things a chubby boy had to suffer through early in life. He was startled to see Ino give him a grateful look.

"You're the leader," Ten Ten said softly she had been lucky enough to have her moment. Looking over at Lee, it looked like he was still seeing stars. It would be nice if Ino could have her time, too. "The Hokage would expect you to serve as an example for us."

Shikamaru nodded. While Tsunade was definitely not his favorite person at the moment, Ten Ten's point was well taken. He could not avoid the kiss, not any more than he could have avoided the perils of command before, or in the future. "I said I would take the kiss. The spinee gets to make the choice."

Ino stood up again, feeling very much aware of everyone's stare. There was no point in pretending. There was a reason that she felt differently than she had before her other kisses. This certainly hadn't turned out how she might have hoped. But, what had she expected? Nara Shikamaru to rush over, sweep her into his arms, call her 'His darling', and then smother her with his affection? Beggars can't be choosers.

"Why don't you guys do the walk thing?" Naruto asked. He didn't really expect Shikamaru to change his stripes. But, it might be a nice moment for Ino. He scratched his neck. It might be nice if some girl thought that way about him.

Shikamaru scowled. He gave Naruto a 'Can't you ever keep quiet' kind of look. Shoulders slumping ever so slightly, he said "If we must."

That had Ino feeling somewhat incensed. Big lazy oaf! Was this such a terrible ordeal for him? She forced herself to calm down. Maybe… just maybe…. if she was lucky… she might be able to show the lugubrious boy that there were some things about women that were no so bothersome. Whether or not it would have an effect, she would pour her heart into their kiss.

Once more, Kurenai continued with practical lessons as they all waited. Choji wasn't paying attention. Instead, he stared out the door with a forlorn look on his round face. It wasn't easy, being the way he is. His parents tried to get him to see the good in himself, and their 'Try to find something special in each and every day' talk often helped boost his spirit. And, his father had found someone to love him for who he was. He smiled. He couldn't help it. Tonight, he had kissed a number of girls. He had even kissed Ino! Some day, he should remember to thank the Hokage.

When Shikamaru walked in, he didn't look any different than before. Ino too, didn't seem to have undergone any kind of emotional transformation. But, she _did_ wink at Ten Ten.

"Well… tell us…." Kiba piped up first. "Was it good?" He was addressing that to Shikamaru.

"It was not as annoying as some things," Shikamaru said with a unenthusiastic wave of his hand. "It was nice getting some fresh air."

Ino began to take offense almost immediately. She willed herself to remain at peace. That had been something she had wanted to do for a long time, so she had gotten a whole lot off her chest. What's more, she saw a tiny glimmer of hope. Yes, it was very tiny. But, tiny was better than nothing at all.

"He wasn't particularly good himself," Ino said, trying to sound nonchalant. "It didn't last very long either." She clenched her fists when Kiba claimed that it might be a bad sign for other more mature activities. "But… after we were through… he _did_ ask if I wanted to stand and watch the clouds with him. They looked miraculous in the moonlight."

"It wasn't any big deal," Shikamaru claimed. He had been right. Things had the propensity to grow more troublesome by the moment. Still… to be honest with himself… there had been something pleasant about the whole incident. But, not _that _pleasant.

"_That_ might be a problem later, too." Kiba began laughing. Soon, Naruto joined in. The girls ignored them. They were too busy congratulating Ino.

"Maybe you should start picking out children's names," Shino said to Shikamaru. His exceedingly dry humor caught everyone by surprise.

"I know! I know!" Naruto called out. "It could be 'Bothersome' for a boy.

"And 'Galling' for a girl," Sakura added. "Or maybe something fancy, like 'Nettlesome'."

"How about 'Vexatious'?" Ten Ten smiled. She didn't have to side with Ino all the time. Sakura was her friend, too. "Or 'Irksome'."

"'Incommodious'," Shino offered, wanting to be seen as part of the gang. He frowned when everyone stopped to stare at him as if he had grown a horn or a third eye. Who in God's green earth ever used the word 'incommodious'?

""Disquieting'," Neji said, surprising everyone. "'Disruptive. Distressful'."

"Annoying," Shikamaru said, sounding particularly crabby. As far as he was concerned, the joke had worn thin before anyone even started. "And intrusive."

"Those are the ones!" Kiba knew that Shikamaru hadn't been playing along. It wouldn't be nearly as much fun if he had. "Perfect!"

"Great bunch of friends we have, Shikamaru." Ino couldn't help but grin. They were all laughing _with_ the two of them, not at the two of them. Well, at least in part. Besides, Shikamaru needed something like this to get him to lighten up some.

When everyone settled down again, the game began anew. There was still plenty of time until sun up. But, it wouldn't simply be business as usual. Not after Kiba slapped himself hard on the forehead, remembering something no red-blooded male should ever have forgotten. At least he wasn't alone in that.

"Sake." He and some of the other shinobi had come across different types of alcoholic beverages while they were unpacking the gear and supplies. They had all be a bit surprised, but weren't inclined to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"What?" Kurenai asked. She was unaware of the boys' earlier discovery.

"Sake," Kiba replied. "How could we have forgotten the Sake?" He ran out into the dark.

"I'm not certain that's such a great idea," Shizune stated. "Why would Tsunade have the quartermasters pack something like _that?"_

"I agree," Yugao opined. "With this group…." She left that thought hanging. There had been enough crazy stuff without benefit of distilled spirits. She didn't want to imagine what might happen if the ninjas all ended up drunk.

"I think it's a good idea," Anko said, not merely being contrary. "A shinobi's life is a hard one. On any given mission, one of us might die. There's no chance to enjoy life after you're dead." Right after leaving Orochimaru's service, she had spent a long time thinking morbid thoughts. She still did, many days. But, she had begun to regain an appreciation of life, despite her continued obsession with blood and pain.

"Well?" Kiba returned, a brace of bottles clutched to his chest. "What's the verdict?" He didn't look too hopeful.

"Alright," Kurenai said, looking over at Shikamaru. "Within reason." She gave her Kiba a 'This is your only chance, so don't blow it' look. She looked over at Lee. Gai had told her about some of his tendencies. "I'm sorry. You'll have to be excluded, Lee." The boy had manifested a natural predisposition towards Drunken Fist. After drinking even a single drop of alcohol, he would become an unpredictable and unstoppable force of chaos and devastation.

"What? That's not fair!" Naruto began to stand up. He remained seated when Sakura whispered the details in his ear. "Oh. I guess there's no choice, then." He smiled. "It's OK. I'll drink your share for you!" He gave Lee a thumbs up.

"I also do not understand the fascination that some seem to have with drinking." Sai said.

"**Good!" **Sakura had seen the results of over-indulgence many times as a medical ninja. "You don't need anything to drink." As well meaning as she might be, all that did was increase Sai's curiosity. "You either, Naruto. I don't care what kind of things you might have done when you were with Jiraiya. Those days are in your past, and that big hairy idiot is far away from here."

"Hey! Don't call him that!" Naruto did stand up this time, hands on hips.

In the chill night air, Jiraiya felt a slight warmth, hearing his former pupil come to his defense.

"I'm the only one who gets to say those things. I _earned_ it!" Naruto put one foot up on a crate, looking like he was going to launch into a vitriol-laced tirade. "He's not just big and hairy, he's also greedy, noisy, and perverted."

Jiraiya frowned. That traitorous boy! What was he doing, biting the hand that fed him? True, being a Sannin he was somewhat colorful, but that came with the job description. People expected that.

"A lot of my training was on my own," Naruto continued. Everyone listened, as they had all been curious what went on while he was away. "Ero-Sennin was off drinking, wenching, stuffing his face, or showing off." He was building up steam. "'Naruto, try that until you get it right. Give me your frog purse. I'll go into town and buy supplies'." He snorted and clenched his fists. "He was good at spending money. _My _money." What angered him the most was the fact that he had subsequently gotten a look at the Frog Hermit's checkbook. The old reprobate was wealthy!

"I'm good at capital management," Jiraiya muttered to himself. "You would have wasted it on Ramen and Squid-on-a-stick. And, I needed a way to relax. It's hard teaching a numbskull like you."

Naruto launched into a series of stories about Jiraiya. Naturally, there was a lot about open air baths, telescopes, naked and bikini-clad bathers, and the like. Those, and tales of Sake, attempts at impressing young courtesans, wild nights on the town, you name it. Looking over at Sai, he noticed that the other boy was writing like crazy. That spurred him on to tell more tales, each more sordid than the one before it.

"Don't you think that's enough, Naruto?" Jiraiya was grasping the wood of the building tightly. When his one time apprentice began to tell about the time he had gotten so drunk that he woke up one morning next to a woman the size of an ox, he had to fight the urge to break through the wall with Rasengan and shake the boy by the neck.

"Sakura…." Kurenai stared at Naruto after he had finally run down. There was a look of sympathy in her eyes. "Let Naruto have something to drink." Her face grew serious. She caught Naruto's attention. "Naruto. Within reason."

"Right," Kiba said, passing around bottles and cups. "Like _that's_ ever going to happen." He poured some sake for Hinata, who had made no effort to take Sake or a glass. "Everyone drinks, Hinata."

Sakura's fears were unfounded. No one there was a lush, or had any propensity towards becoming one. They all drank various amounts, but it was only enough to remove inhibitions, not become fall down sloppy drunk. Of course, for those prone to errors in judgment, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Hey! Sai!" Naruto banged bottles with his friend. Sai had only sipped a little, and that had left him with wide eyes and a puckered face. It had been his first drink. "Did you take down everything I said before, about Jiraiya?" He smiled when Sai nodded, took another sip, and looked as if a bug had flown up his nose or something. "Great! We can write our _own_ book. There's a really big market for that." He could do it. After all, he had ghostwritten part of a chapter for Ero-Sennin.

"Loser!" Sakura connected with a punch that seemed more fitting for a boxer than a shinobi. Naruto tumbled like an asymmetric pinball, bouncing off of a couple of his stationary friends. A bit disoriented, he looked up and saw Hinata's face. Why? Oh. His head was resting in her lap.

"Hi Hinata," Naruto said. It then hit him. His head was in Hinata's lap! Not only that, but the whole room had gone dead quiet.

"Ummm…." Hinata froze at first, but then relaxed ever so slightly. The cup in her hand had sloshed a bit, but still held some Sake. "It's…." She tipped back her head, and tried to down it all in one gulp, so as to focus on something other than the fact that a boy had his head on her lap. That had her coughing and spraying Sake everywhere. "I'm sorry…." She hung her head. She was so useless. If that had been an opportunity, it was an opportunity wasted. But, how could she be something she's not?

"Huh? What are you sorry for?" Naruto wasn't upset. The spray had hit Kiba, not him. Shrugging when the girl didn't answer, he headed back to his place on the floor.

Not too much later, after a series of spins, the quiet white-eyed girl would have reason to fear that she might have let her last chance pass by. After sharing a kiss with Neji, Sakura spun the bottle. The one moment that Hinata dreaded the most about all others finally came to be. The bottle's snout was aimed squarely at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata dropped her cup. Sake splashed all over her sandals. She had seen the thread of Fate tie a number of people together already. Ten Ten had chanced upon the moment with Neji that she always wanted. As a result, she might have managed to capture his attention in matters outside of training. Ino was fortunate to have her moment alone with Shikamaru. Despite the boy's taciturn appearance and distrust of women, that encounter might also bear fruit. What if a kiss with Sakura resurrected Naruto's quest for her affection? She might return it this time, and then some!

"Hinata?" Kurenai could guess how Hinata was feeling. "Are you alright?" She thought about mentioning Lee's kiss with Sakura, and Choji's kiss with Ino, two events that would likely leave the boys little hope of achieving their dreams. No. Who could say what might come out of things tonight? She turned back to watch the two participants after her young team member chose not to respond.

"OK. Now it's time for Uzumaki Naruto to show Sakura just how good he is." Naruto no longer worried about kissing. He had survived Anko. He could survive anything.

But, there was also something pleasant about kissing, even though he didn't have any interest in the women he had already kissed. Sakura was a different story, in some ways. She was his partner. She had also been the girl that he had fawned over, back when Sasuke was part of the scene. When asked by Kakashi what he liked, one of the things he had mentioned was Sakura. When the Copy Ninja asked Sakura about the things she hated, one of the things she had mentioned was Naruto! He had no doubt that her feelings had changed. So had his. But, changed to what?

"Sure. Just like you used to show everybody how good you were at _Henge_, in the Academy." Sakura was even more confused, her emotions flashing on and off like a firefly. Early on, Naruto had been such an embarrassment, especially compared to Sasuke. But, when she had thanked Sasuke for saving her from Gaara, he had shocked her by saying it had been Naruto who rescued them both. And, after he had returned from training with the Sannin, the two of them had been much better at working together, as evidenced by their defeat of Kakashi during the test of the bells. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost him. But, she still worried about Sasuke, too.

"I got pretty good at that!" Naruto did not like to be reminded of past failures, not after all of the effort he had put in to become a better ninja. He thought of the perfect comeback. "_Oiroke no Jutsu_," he said, working the hand seals. The Sexy Jutsu, one he had used to drive certain instructors to distraction. "It's really sad when your teammate is larger than you. Prettier, too."

"Nice rack," Sai said, bleary eyed.

"Why don't they make _real_ women who look that good?" Kiba's remark immediately drew the ire of every woman in the room.

"You… _you_…." Sakura sputtered. That was just the kind of thing about Naruto that she didn't like!

"Hey! Put your thumb in your mouth and blow real hard," Naruto said, sensing a victory. Well, at least a victory in his terms. "That might make them get bigger." Sakura had already become a very talented medical ninja under the Hokage's tutelage, and had managed to acquire much of the older woman's strength and tempestuous attitude, too. But, she could never be 'Tsunade Junior' without a whopping pair of bazooms.

"**You jerk!" **She swung at Naruto with all her might. Luckily, she missed. Had she connected, the punch might have left him near death, the way that one of Tsunade's blows had laid Jiraiaya low in the past.

"Now would be a good time to kiss and make up," Shikamaru said in exasperated fashion.

"That's right," Kiba seconded. "Enough foreplay!" He frowned, seeing the blank look on Lee's and Sai's faces.

"Fine." Naruto puckered his lips. "You go first," he said, sounding funny with his mouth like that.

"What?" Sakura made a face. "_You_ go first."

"Children…." Kurenai spoke quietly, but her word carried unfathomable weight.

"OK," Naruto answered. "Whatever." He echoed by Sakura. Leaning forward, they both closed their eyes a brief instand before their lips met. The kiss started off platonic, but soon changed. No, it wasn't a romantic revelation. Rather, it became a competition of sorts. But, no one watching could have guessed that. One person in particular thought that her worst fears had indeed come to be. It looked like the two kissing shin obi were trying to swallow one another's heads.

"I…." Hinata closed her eyes. 'I will not cry', she thought. 'There's still hope. There's always hope. Naruto taught me that.'

When that kiss was over, it was Naruto's time to spin. He smiled when Shino asked him if he still had his tonsils. He had won that match. Yes indeed. With nine tails of pride extending from him much the way Kyuubi's chakra sometimes did, he didn't have time to stop and think if he actually liked the kiss. Who would the next challenger be?

The bottle stopped, pointing at Hinata. Everyone went quiet. Even if Naruto didn't have a clue, the rest of them realized just how significant a moment this was. Looking at her, they wondered if she might faint. What's more, they wondered if she could even manage to get one word out. They weren't expected what came next.

"Ummm… " Hinata twiddled her fingers. "I choose Seven Minutes in Heaven…."


	5. Chapter 5

Lightning flashed outside.

A bright light flooded into the room for a brief moment, before the sound of thunder came marching in with martial glee. Window panes rattled. Wind blew into the room, swirling leaves and hovering moths in its wake.

Standing up, framed by the door, Hinata looked like an unearthly figure in that instant. That image, along with the words she had just spoken, had people wondering if that was indeed the girl they knew. Her request was more shocking than any bolt of lightning could possibly be.

"Hinata…." Kurenai was rarely one to be caught off guard to that degree.

"Did you say…." Sakura blinked rapidly. Just when she thought the night couldn't get any wilder, something happened to prove her wrong.

"Seven Minutes in Heaven…." Ino gasped, realizing that she had been holding her breath. While she and Shikamaru had gone off together, just like Ten Ten and Neji, their excursions had carried a sense of purity and innocent discovery about them. 'Seven Minutes in Heaven' had an entirely different connotation, no matter how shy the girl and how clueless the boy.

"Ummm… yes…." Hinata felt a strong urge to change her mind, retreating back into the safe, meek, and comfortable place within her that she was all too familiar with. It had been a hard choice to make, even though she had not intended anything improper or immoral. But, hearing her friends questioning her decision played on her fears. No. She would _not _go back on her word. That was her Ninja Way.

"It sure _sounded_ like she did." Normally, Kiba would be smiling and rubbing his hands together. But, not with Hinata. Even though he teased her unfairly at times, he was very protective of his teammate. "It would be a very big mistake if someone tried to take advantage of the situation."

"I agree," Shino said, feeling the same way as Kiba. "Now is _not_ the time for brazen and impulsive behavior." Like his friend, he fastened his gaze on Naruto.

"**_Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee clenched his fists and stood erect, his pose even stiffer than usual. "The flaming heart of the Leaf would turn against anyone who stole the sweet and precious fruit from the womanly vine of life.

"Hey! Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Naruto frowned, stuck out his chin, and spread his feet. "I'm not the one who said it. Who says I even _want_ to do it? Why does everyone always think the worst of me? " For a moment, he felt like he usually did, whenever he thought about his treatment as a child. But, these were his friends. They were his precious ones. He forced himself to calm down.

"I don't have any doubts about Naruto," Shizune said, one again trying to be the voice of reason. "And, I doubt that Hinata had anything bad in mind, _right?" _She felt the warm glow of success, seeing everyone look sheepish and nod their heads.

"**Braaaa-aaa-aa-ap**…." Sai belched, still feeling the effect of his Sake. "I apologize for that." He wondered why his instructors in the Root division had never trained him to resist the effects of alcohol. "I find myself at a loss. Correct me if I am wrong. Didn't someone say that the participants will engage in kissing, hugging or intimate sexual contact?" He tried hard to clear the cobwebs in his mind so he might recall who had said that. Cocking his head, he thought back to some of his lectures at the ANBU training facility. "Such behavior might include touching over clothing… massaging erogenous zones under apparel… undressing one another… the use of mouth and tongue to…. _Grblmrblmrphgrl_."

Sakura clamped her hand hard over the inebriated boy's mouth. She was too late. Just as Shizune had put everyone at ease, the Root ninja had set them all off again, worse than before.

"Naruto is often the type who does what he's told not to do," Ten Ten said. She stopped to listen for a moment. A storm had indeed blown in. There was the sound of heavy rainfall outdoors. Unseen by her, not too far away as the crow flies, a soggy and disgruntled Sannin made a makeshift tent out of his long robes.

"Hinata doesn't always stand up for herself the way that she should," Choji mentioned.

"They've both had more than their fair share of Sake," Yugao observed.

"But… I wouldn't…." Hinata pleaded with her eyes. She had never intended to create such pandemonium. "Naruto would never…."

"_Frblgrphmrbll_…." Sai managed to duck out from Sakura's grasp with practiced ease. "I should correct my error. There is a very good reason that no one should be concerned," he claimed. That had everyone quieting down and looking at him. He was the one who had got them up in arms in the first place.

"And that is?" Kurenai raised one eyebrow.

"Do not a lot of those intimate activities require the boy to have a penis?" Sai looked innocent. Kiba envied his ability to keep a straight face.

"**S-A-I-!" **Naruto looked like he was on the verge of going ballistic. He had more than his fill of dickless jokes to last three lifetimes.

"Silly us," Shino said in his dry fashion. "What were we worried about?"

"Yes," Shikamaru added, wondering why he bothered to engage himself in such a troublesome conversation. "Hinata has very littleto fear." The word play was not lost on his angry friend.

"Unless she drops Ramen down her vest," Kiba said, eyes sparkling. Uzumaki Naruto was indeed a boy, but he was still Naruto. And what girl would be less likely to do anything racy than Hinata? "Then again… what harm can a limp noodle do?"

"**K-I-B-A-!" **Naruto took a step forward, and then stopped. He was the older more mature Naruto. If he put his mind to it, he could withstand any insult or joke at his expense. Good. Right. You bet. Nothing else would get a rise out of him, no pun intended.

"Hinata looked sad, earlier." Sakura said. She hadn't forgiven Naruto for the _Sexy Technique_ and subsequent anatomical comparisons. "She could probably use a good laugh."

Hearing that, Naruto gave his teammate a 'Et tu, Sakura' look and promptly abandoned his resolve from an instant earlier. Fine bunch of friends he had. Screw them all, no pun intended this time either. He needed some time outside alone, to cool off. Ignoring the apologetic calls, he marched off into the dark, arms flailing and knees pumping.

The rain poured down mercilessly for a while. The water ran off of Naruto in rivulets, as he stood staring up at the dark clouds. But, before too long, the weather cleared as quickly as it had crept in. First there was a sense of lessening darkness. Then a faint white glow appeared. After that, a large area of clouds parted, revealing a large and bright Moon. Naruto saw a parallel to his own life.

"I don't know why I get so upset, sometimes." Naruto looked up at the Moon. Some people said that they saw a man in the Moon. Others envisioned a woman's silhouette. Here were some individuals who spoke of a hare, a frog, a moose, and even a buffalo. No one ever mentioned a fox. He was the only one who was cursed _that_ way. "They're my friends. Everyone was just joking. I'm being a big baby. " He stood there alone, sopping wet, listening to the crickets call out to one another, and watching as fireflies tried to find their heart's desire.

"I'm…." The voice sounded just after a snapping twig had caused Naruto to spin in a fighting crouch. It was Hinata. "I'm _sorry, _Naruto-kun…." She looked up at the Moon, herself. That distant ball of rock was destined to forever orbit around the Earth. Was that her fate… to always circle Naruto… and to get no closer than she already had? "I didn't mean to have anyone laugh at you."

"Oh. Hey, Hinata." Naruto relaxed. "I shouldn't have run off. Just because everyone was making a big deal out of nothing, didn't mean I should get all sensitive or anything. I've been teased my whole life." He _had_ been. But, before he had friends and teammates, the teasing had been outright vicious and mean-spirited. Maybe he should blame the drinking. Not thinking, he had somehow felt trapped again, just as he once had, as a young child surrounded by angry towering adults.

"Yes," Hinata said. She could remember the way everyone used to make fun of him at the Academy. "I… I've never really… I've never really been teased much." That was a good thing, practically speaking, given how different she was than everyone else. But, strangely enough, she sounded somewhat dejected. "Ummm… I guess… I don't think anyone ever paid enough attention to me to tease me…."

"Yeh." Naruto nodded his head. Truth be told, he hadn't paid much attention to Hinata until her match with her cousin. Even after that he hadn't thought much about her, not that events had given him time or reason to do so. "That's because you don't do anything funny or stupid when they make fun of you. Not like _I_ do." He sighed. He had been out of control tonight, even before they had found the bottles. No doubt he was still 'That Naruto' in some people's eyes.

Hinata wanted desperately to say 'But I still think you're wonderful', or 'That's not really who you are.' She couldn't get the words to come out, not even after she pinched herself. Her father had told her once upon a time, that a tiger cannot change its stripes, inferring that she would always be a hindrance to her team. But, she had improved, and was now a valuable asset, just as Kiba and Shino were. So, people _can _change. At least a little. She had to try again. "It's… you are… I think…."

"Huh?" Naruto wondered what the girl was trying to say. She always seemed so tongue-tied around him, not that she really spoke out a lot around _anyone. _At least she hadn't fainted this time! Hmmm. What was up with _that_ kind of thing? He had never figured that out. "Hinata…."

"Ummm… yes, Naruto-kun?" Hinata cursed herself as a coward. Lee had come out and told Sakura how he felt, in his sappy adolescent-boy kind of way. He hadn't given up on life or collapsed into a pool of tears when her reaction was anything but positive. Then again, he probably hadn't spent his whole life watching her, admiring her, and putting all of his hopes in her. Not the way she had done with Naruto.

"I've always wondered… why are you always fainting when I'm around?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "It seems to happen when our faces get close together." He had never put a lot of thought into the matter before. But now, like a sudden itch that has to be scratched, he wanted to know.

"It's… well… you see…." Hinata began rubbing her fingers together. She hated that! It was a childish habit that she didn't seem able to break. Why was she thinking about that? This was another chance. All she had to do was open the valve on her heart and let everything pour out. "Ummm…."

"That, too!" Naruto pointed at Hinata. In the moonlight, he had caught her hand motions. "Rubbing your fingers. Talking like that without saying anything. Always looking surprised or scared." He squinted as if that might help him recall past images. "I bet you even have a sweat drop!"

"I…." Hinata felt as if she were under a microscope. Sure enough, there _was_ a bead of sweat at her temple. "It's just…." She looked up at the moon again. In some ancient countries, the people had believed that the souls of the dead went to that huge glowing orb. Not catering to that idea herself, she nevertheless clasped her hands and called out a silent plea to her late mother. 'This may be my best and only chance. Please. Help me.'

"You didn't pass out when you kissed everyone tonight." Naruto shivered, thinking about anyone kissing Shino. "Hey! You also didn't ask anyone but me to do Seven Minutes in Heaven!" The mystery was deepening. "And… tonight… no one else asked anyone to do that…."

"It was…." Hinata stepped underneath a huge weeping tree, one whose cascading branched blocked out the moonlight. Unseen, and unable to see Naruto's outline, she might find a reserve of courage. Once she got the ball rolling, maybe things would come easier for her. "I don't think I would have even been able to say that without the Sake." That much was true. Her inhibitions were wound in a tight knot, so it would take a lot more than a few glasses of Sake to undo that tangle. But, figuratively speaking, a few threads had come loose. "And I… well… I was very upset about your kiss with Sakura." She could feel her face growing warm when she admitted that. Maybe that would be enough to clue him in. No. Probably not. This _was_ Naruto, after all. "Most of all… this kiss… I… it's… you see… I didn't want anyone watching."

"Sake? Yeh. Tell me about it. I can't believe that Sai!" Naruto put his hands behind his neck. "Why would you get upset about my kiss with Sakura? Because I was trying to show I was better than her at kissing? I don't get it." He looked around the darkness. Even though he might be able to see a detail or two about things close by, he couldn't make out anything inside the longhouse. No one in there could see them, either. "If you didn't want for anyone to watch, you could have asked for the walk thing. But… hey… you didn't do that with any of the _other_ kisses!" And, as luck had it, the bottle had pointed at Hinata more than any of the other girls.

"This is a very important kiss." Hinata brought her hand to her mouth. That had come out in a big rush. But, instead of feeling relieved, she felt even more tense. She had hoped that secluded away in a small room, the feeling of safety or security might have helped her feel more relaxed, more focused. Things might fall apart irreparably before she even got back inside.

"Important?" Naruto pursed his lips. "Why would _this_ kiss be important?" He tried to think when _any_ kiss had been important, or even came close to being so. Oh. Maybe that one. Back when he had defeated Sasuke, taken his form, and tried to trick Sakura. But, that damn spoiled milk had upset his stomach, and he had to run to the crapper!

"It's… it's because…." Hinata couldn't believe that Naruto was so dense at times! She also couldn't believe that she couldn't simply speak the truth. "I…." Wait. That might work. She could probably do that, and it might just provide Naruto with enough clues to piece things together once and for all.

"Yo! Hinata! What are you two doing out there?" That was Kiba's voice. "It's been a while. You two haven't eloped, _have_ you?" That had Hinata twitching. "Naruto! Does Hinata have you tied up? Is she molesting you?"

"Shut up, Kiba!"Naruto was not in the mood for that kind of shit now. It had been part of the game inside. But, they weren't inside now. If everyone started interrupting, he would never get an answer out of Hinata. Then again, maybe he didn't really _need _that answer. He looked over at the white-eyed girl. "Should we go inside now and go to the… you know…." Why did he feel funny? They could talk inside the closet just as they did out here. It wasn't as if going in there meant they had to do the kind of stuff that Ero-Sennin used to use Froggie's money for.

"Hinata, are you alright?" That was Kurenai. Soon enough, her words were echoed by all of the other kunoichi, in rapid succession.

"I'm fine." Hinata almost lost what little resolve she had garnered. It was nice that everyone was worried about her; but, she just wanted time alone with Naruto. That way, maybe she could tell him something… anything. But, everything and everyone kept interrupting.

"**ARF! ARF! ARF!" **That loud barking had Hinata and Naruto jumping. Neither had sensed that Akamaru was near. "**AROOOO-_OOO-OO-O_**…."

"Nothing to worry about," Kiba told the others. "He says the two of them are just talking. Or, at least trying to. You know Hinata."

'You know Hinata'. Those words echoed inside Hinata's head. 'You know Hinata… you know Hinata… you know Hinata….' She clenched her fists.

"It won't matter how muchshe says." Ino's voice was barely audible at their location. "He _still_ won't get it. You know Naruto." That was followed by the sound of mass laughter.

Those words echoed between Hinata's ears, too. It was one thing to have everyone joke about her shyness and inability to express her feelings. It was something altogether else to have them poke fun at Naruto. He didn't deserve that. He was someone special. Taking a deep breath, she gathered up what courage she could, and decided upon another approach.

"When we were students, I always watched you." As Hinata began speaking, she realized that she felt a lot more comfortable talking about the past than she did the present. This might actually work! "You… you always failed… but you kept trying…."

Naruto leaned up against the tree. This sounded like it might take a while. Oddly enough, his sense of impatience didn't usurp control of his mouth or body. Maybe it was because he could hear something in Hinata's voice that he could relate too. "I had to," he told Hinata. "No one thought much of me. I wanted to show them all." He tugged at one ear. That had been his original motivation for being Hokage. Not a great one, true. But, after suffering the pain that followed Sarutobi's sacrifice, and having come to realize what Tsunade must go through, he had experienced a significant change in motives.

"When they announced the genin teams, I had hoped that I would be in your team." Hinata felt her heart beating fiercely. This was almost a complete confession in itself. Surely he would ask himself 'Why' and put two and two together. "I… I was so disappointed… when Sakura was chosen as one of your partners."

"Right!"Naruto smacked his hand into his palm. His answer had Hinata holding her breath. "I can understand _that!" _The statement had the girl biting her lip. "What girl would want to be in a group with Shino! Not to mention Kiba and Akamaru!" He wondered why Hinata's breath came out in a rush after he spoke.

"When we were at the chuunin exams…." Hinata's conscious pricked her. "I'm not a cheater. I don't like to be dishonest." That point made, she continued. "But… when I saw you were having trouble on the written test… I would have let you look at my paper…." She kicked at a barely visible clump of weeds. Almost as tall as she was, they whipped about, fluffy tufts tickling her under her nose. She sneezed. Wiping her nose, she waited, the sound of her heartbeat thumping in her ears. Had she given him enough clues, now?

"That was a really stupid test!" Naruto frowned. He hadn't known a damn thing on the exam. But, that hadn't mattered. It was all about trickery and ninja skills. In the end, his spirit and determination had one the day not only for himself, but for others, too. "But, it was really good of you, wanting to help out a friend."

"It…." Hinata reached out and plucked one of the weeds. She clutched it in her hands. She had to be patient. She had to persevere. That wasn't a good enough clue. Naruto had been the one sitting next to her. It wasn't as if they were sitting in fashion that she could have slid her paper into anyone she chose. "When it was my time to fight in the exams… and it was brother Neji…." She flinched, remembering that battle. The weed had snapped in her grasp, and she now held the pieces tight against her chest. She had almost died the day of that battle. But, she had discovered something inside herself. "I never would have fought him, had I listened to everyone's advice. I would have quit too, when I was badly hurt."

"But you _didn't!" _Naruto stood up again, remembering the fight. "You didn't back down. You showed that jerk what it meant to be a ninja!" He waved his arms in negation. "Not that Neji is a jerk anymore."

"No… he's not…." Hinata smiled, thinking about how her family had changed after Naruto's fight with her cousin. That reminded her of another things he could mention. "It was foolish for me to try and beat him… but it wasn't just about winning and losing…." Or living and dying, for that matter. "Someone called out encouragement to me." She wanted to say 'It was my precious one', but couldn't. "I couldn't back down. It… it's my Ninja Way."

"That's right!"Naruto pumped his fist. "Just like me." He smiled. There was something he had in common with her, no matter how different the two of them were.

"I couldn't back down," Hinata said. "Not after you called out." She felt a tear form at the corner of one eye. She reached up and caught it on her finger. "I stood up to Neji, with everybody watching. With _you_ watching. Even though I lost, I started liking myself more. Because of you, Naruto-kun."

"Hey. Well. You know…." Naruto felt uncomfortable hearing that, but couldn't figure out why. "It's good to feel confident and all. When I started getting good at things, I felt a lot better about myself, too." That was true. At first, he had been jealous of Sasuke, his talent, and all the attention that he got. Eventually, he had grown confident enough to want to fight him, to gain his acknowledgment as an equal. Thinking about his own past, he once again failed to see what Hinata was getting at.

"When I saw you at the training grounds, on the day of the secondary matches, I hid behind one of the posts." Hinata remembered that day as if it was yesterday. There was good reason for that. She replayed that moment in her mind, a number of days each week. "Because… because it was you…." She knew how that might sound, left like that. But, she couldn't explain her feelings. "You said you were there to see the field where you had become a lower ninja. You asked about Neji, wanting to know how strong he was."

"Yeh," Naruto said. "I didn't get much sleep the night before. I guess I was kind of worried or something." He ran a hand through his hair. "But, you said that you thought I could beat him. I said that I only pretended to be strong, since I was failing all the time." He had helped Hinata in her fight with Neji, but she had more than returned the favor. He had been worried to the point of distraction, before happening upon her in that clearing.

"I called you a proud failure," Hinata said. "Because I think the real strength is the strength to stand up after failure." Those words had her shivering for a moment. She believed what she had said then, and still believed it now. Why couldn't she follow her own advice? "I… I felt really good…. I felt really good when my words seemed to cheer you up. You said you had been depressed, but were renewed." She shivered again, this time because of a strong gust of chill wind. "I… when you called me gloomy, plain, timid, and weird… I felt…."

"Uhhh. Hey. Sorry about that." Naruto didn't remember that part of the encounter all that well. But, he doubted he was trying to be cruel or anything. "You're not as gloomy or plain any more…." He strained to make out any details about her then. He couldn't, until she turned to one side, giving a full view of her more mature outline. He hadn't really noticed how much she had grown up, in some ways. "Hey… hey… not that I'm saying you're still weird or anything."

"I am still timid," Hinata said, ashamed of that truth. She smiled though, what with Naruto making an effort to reassure her. "When you called me those things, I don't know how sad I might have felt. But… but you… you said that I was someone that you could really like." That had been one of the penultimate moments of her life. But, that didn't say much about her life, _did_ it? "When Kiba found me standing there, I still couldn't talk. I wasn't even aware he was there at first." Reminiscing again, she stopped, realizing just how many words she had spoken to Naruto at one time, even though she hadn't managed any kind of confession yet. That was a pretty big step in itself, wasn't it? She felt a seed of confidence sprout within her.

"But… why…." Naruto was trying to make sense of things. Why would Hinata have felt that way after he said such a simple thing? How did all that stuff she said fit together? His thought process was interrupted at the most inopportune moment.

"**_YIPE_**… **_YIPE_**… **_YIPE_**… **_YIPE_**… **_YIPE_**… **_YIPE_**…."

"That was Akamaru again," Naruto said. "I wonder what happened. Maybe he found a skunk or a porcupine or something." There was no way for him to know that Jiraiya had performed some form of genjutsu when the dog had come too close to sniffing him out.

Hinata fidgeted. Had Naruto been close to figuring things out? Was the interruption by the dog a sign that Fate itself was against her? The hope within her began to shrivel some, but she did not give up. "I came to watch your match with Neji. I really wanted to see you win. But, I was still badly injured after my own fight." She sighed. Missing that fight had been another big disappointment. He had defeated her cousin, but she had been unable to witness it. "But… because you beat him…. because of the things that people told me that you said to him… you changed him." She felt a sense of gratitude well up inside of her again. "He told me that he had been like a bird in a cage. You set him free. Only someone as special as you could have done that. At least… that's… ummm… that's the way _I_ see it."

"Hey. You know. I'm not really all that special." As much as he might brag at times, Naruto didn't usually think of himself as anything special, despite the fact that he had done things that others could not do, and was one of the few Jinchuuriki.

"You are… to _me_…." Hinata felt her heart in her throat. She had actually said that! What would Naruto think?

"Huh?" Naruto screwed up his face. He was special to her? What did she mean by _that? _When had anyone really thought he was special? Usually, he was just happy to have someone to see who he really was, and to accept him. He put a hand on his forehead, remembering when Tsunade had kissed him there, after flicking away his forehead protector.

"When I heard that you were going to leave the village, I was very sad." Hinata kept pushing forward. She was so close. She _had _to be. He would get it soon. "It felt… it felt as if… it felt as if my whole world was falling apart." She swallowed hard. The first few weeks after Naruto left the village had been very hard on her, even though the Rookie Nine saw less and less of one another due to their intensified training and increased numbers of mid-kevel missions. "I watched you walk out of the village… but couldn't step out from behind the post and say good-bye…."

Glaciers move slowly. In fact, they are so slow, that anyone watching would swear they were stationary. But, the fact that huge chunks broke off and floated away in the sea was evidence enough of their activity. Naruto as not about to fracture into pieces, but he did finally see what Hinata had been trying hard to make him see.

"Hey… Hinata… are you trying to say you like me?" Naruto felt very strange. Why? A lot of people liked him, even some who knew about Kyuubi. But, that wasn't what Hinata was talking about, _was_ it? "I mean…."

"Y-Yes." Hinata didn't hear angels sing. The stars didn't come down from the heavens to sparkle in her eyes. Her face and Naruto's did not appear in the sky, formed by the spinning constellations. Yes, she had finally gotten her point across. That had been the difficult part. But, trembling, she knew the hardest part was yet to come. Would Naruto simply shrug things off? Would he laugh? Would he dismiss her? Might he even laugh, or make some kind of painful joke?

"Oi! Naruto! Hinata!" That was Shikamaru this time. "We're all waiting. You guys need to get the kiss over with, so Hinata can spin again." He had gotten used to the game, even though he didn't care much for it. Now, it was Kurenai's lecturing that he found most bothersome.

"He's right, I guess." Naruto stretched, and then began walking. He stopped. The interruption had not distracted him entirely, this time. "We _should_ get back inside, right?" That really wasn't the thought foremost in his mind. Things just couldn't seem to register entirely. Hinata liked him? She cared about him _that _much?

"Yes, we should." Hinata spoke very quietly. It was true. They had been outside a long time. It wasn't right, keeping everyone else waiting this way. She had no business feeling sad. She had won, _hadn't_ she? She had finally gotten Naruto to see how she felt.

"Hinata…." Naruto might be very clueless most of the time, and he often took a while to see just how people felt about one another. But, he was also very sensitive to the needs of others, having what Neji called 'The best eyes of anyone he knew'. He looked up at the moon again. "You were very brave, telling me all that." She had been, after a fashion. Someone else might have seen her as too timid or shy. Not him. Not at that moment. She had gotten the job done, and that's what counted most.

"Th-… Th-… Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt warm inside. The warmth started in her heart and was spreading out to every nook and cranny of her body. It might not be an expression of affection, but Naruto had at least acknowledged her.

"I know I said you were someone I can like…." Naruto coughed. Why was he having a hard time saying things now? "But… then… you see… I didn't mean it _that_ way…." He felt kind of churlish, saying that. He knew all too well what it felt like to have one's hopes crumpled up and tossed in the trash. But, above else, he was honest. He didn't want to leave someone with a wrong impression. Still, he felt compelled to add something. "But… you know… that doesn't mean you should give up or anything." Now _he_ had a sweat drop. Geeez!

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata froze. She didn't know what to feel. What was he trying to say?

"Never mind." He frowned and turned away from Hinata. He shouldn't get defensive, simply because he was embarrassed. What reason was there for him to feel funny, any way? "Sorry. I'm not really mad or anything." He took a deep breath. "It's just that I'm not used to anyone feeling that way about me." And, once again, he was very confused about how _he_ should feel. Should he take a sudden interest in Hinata, just because she had noticed him the way she had? Should he do it because she would be heartbroken if he didn't? Did doing something for that reason ever make any sense? And what about Sakura? How did he feel about _her?_

"It's OK," Hinata said in that sweet way of her. "I understand… I think." She had lived through difficult times, what with the death of her mother, and her father's disappointment with her early attempts at training to be Heir. But, Naruto had lived through things that were so much worse. "It's not… it's not as if I'm anyone who counts…." No. Why did she let _that _slip out, truth or not?

"What?" Naruto felt the confusion vanish into thin air. There was something else for him to focus on at the moment. "What do you mean? _Everyone_ counts!" He was a very firm believer in that. How could he not be, having been someone who had been overlooked discredited for much of his life? "And you're a really nice person, too. You're nicer than all the _other_ girls." That was pretty much true, in some ways. "Sweet… kind… never complaining… you don't ever put me down… and you've gotten pretty, too." What? Why had he said _that? _He realized it was the truth, but that didn't mean he had to come out and tell her something like that. It wasn't as if she was the only pretty girl, or the prettiest one for that matter.

"…" Hinata couldn't believe what she had just heard. Naruto thought she was nice? She thought she was pr-… pr-… pretty?

"So… well… I don't ever want to hear you put down yourself again," Naruto said, trying to paper-over his verbal slip-up with a healthy trowel full of bluster. "You understand me?" No. he didn't sound much like an idiot, _did_ he?

"Yes." Hinata smiled, after answering the way she would when challenged by Kurenai during training. Looking back towards the site of the gathering, she spoke again. "They're waiting for us."

"Too bad!" Naruto made a face. He wasn't at everyone's beck and call. They could go inside when he was ready, not when their friends told them too. Looking over at the building himself, he remembered what this had all been about in the first place. "Hey… Hinata…." He cleared his throat again. "We… we're supposed to kiss, _aren't_ we?" He knew the answer to that. Why did he sound like such a wuss, especially after all the kissing he had done that night?

"We are," Hinata answered. She had been so caught up in everything else, she had forgotten that. Now, in a way, the whole idea of kissing Naruto had taken on a different light.

"Then we ought to do it." Naruto spoke in a rush. Something felt different about the situation. He had kissed girls who didn't feel that way about him. Shizune had been kind, like an older sister. Sakura had squabbled with him, like a younger sib. Anko had meant to make an example out of him, and to get a small bit of vengeance. The others had merely done were they were forced to do. "It's not like it's a big deal, _right?"_

Hinata didn't answer. She would lie by agreeing with him. For her, it _was_ a big deal. In fact, it was one of the biggest of deals!

"Since it's so nice out here, we might as well kiss now." Naruto did like the feel of wind on his face, and the sense of openness. He was also a bit uncomfortable about the idea of the closet, with everyone knowing that Hinata had chosen Seven Minutes in Heaven. Wait. The closet. People's expectations… curiosity… and fears. Ahhh. An idea was taking shape! "If you want to… that is… the bottle _did_ point at you. It's your choice how we do it."

Hinata looked up at the Moon and whispered 'Thank you mother,' even though she doubted there had been any supernatural help whatsoever. It was beautiful out here. This would make a much better memory than a dusty old closet. "I would like that, Naruto-kun." She didn't care how many people she had kissed that night. Those didn't count. This would be her real first kiss.

"OK. Fine. No problem." Naruto walked over to Hinata. He was the guy. He should take command here, right? He knew exactly what he was doing, didn't he? Not that it really mattered. It was just a kiss. Just another kiss. They were a dime a dozen now, _weren't_ they? "Here… I should put my arms around you… and you should do what girls do…."

"I will," Hinata said, thinking Naruto's bold act to be very cute. She trembled when he embraced her gently. The anticipation was overwhelming. What would the kiss be like? How would she feel? Would Naruto like it?

"Wait… I should probably put my hand over here instead…." Naruto's voice was strangely subdued. "Or… well… this might be better…."

"OK." Hinata felt like the entire world was rushing in on her. The kiss would come any second now. She closed her eyes, tilted her head, and parted her lips.

"That's better," Naruto said, moving his hand again. "You should probably take a step closer, too. And… let me see…I should… well…."

Hinata couldn't wait any longer. She wasn't being bold. Her actions hardly qualified as a page out of a heroic saga. It was all instinct. If she had to wait for Naruto, they might be there all night. Leaning forward and pressing up on her toes, she initiated the kiss. She felt Naruto's shock travel down through his arms and into her own body. That didn't matter. She also surprised herself by feeling more eager, when he fumbled about trying to get his lips just right. When the kiss deepened, it was because of her natural reactions, not anything on his part.

"Uhhh… well… that was something different…." Naruto was the first one to break the embrace. He was feeling funny. Touching his mouth, he couldn't help but relive the kiss. Why? What did it all mean? He had actually found himself enjoying that!

Hinata hoped that her sandals were heavy enough to serve as anchors. As light as her soul felt at the moment, she was afraid that she might float away, ending up on the moon in body as well as spirit. Feeling too good to be shy, she looked up at Naruto. "Was… ummm… was it good?"

"Hey! What kind of question is that?" Naruto's automatic defenses took over. He was male, alright. "Is _that_ the kind of thing you ask a guy? It was just a kiss. Get with the program!"

Hinata grinned. He had liked it. She was sure of it. It still might not do much to change the future, but she was very much content to dwell in the present. "I guess it's time to go in. We won't have to do the closet."

"Sure we will!" Naruto rubbed his hands together. Hinata misinterpreted the reason for his eagerness.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata clasped her hands over her chest. She had been through the sex education lectures, just like the rest of them. She had overheard some of her older cousins and servants talking in the past, mentioning all sorts of things that had her blushing again. Was_ that_ what he intended to do with her? The kiss hadn't caused him to start thinking about taking some new big step, _had_ it? What should she do, if it had? If he went further than she wanted, but it caused him to be more interested in her, would it be OK?

"It's not that!" Something in Hinata's voice and her posture had Naruto realizing what she must be thinking. "_Geeez_, Hinata. We just kissed. I'm not ready to get married or something. Girls!" He smiled. The plan was just too great. If only he could get Hinata to go along with it. For the next few minutes, he explained what was on his mind. She was reluctant at first, but finally agreed to take part when Naruto promised that there would be no misunderstandings at the end.

"What took you two so long?" Sakura was standing, a petulant look on her face. Naruto better not have done anything wrong to Hinata. And, it had been irritating, having to sit and wait all that time as Kurenai droned on and on. Even though this was a mission of sorts, she had hoped to get away from that kind of stuff for a while.

"Sounds like someone is jealous," Ino said, finding another perfect opportunity to tease Sakura.

"Are you going to need a pregnancy test?" Kiba laughed. He wondered why Hinata didn't flinch and lower her head the way she usually did.

"I doubt they had any condoms," Anko remarked, glad to start some trouble. With an evil grin, she reached into her pouch, where she kept any number of sundry items. Taking out a prophylactic, she blew it up… tied it off like a balloon… swiped one of Sai's brushes… and painted a face on it. The spiky 'hair' made it resemble Naruto, just as she had intended. Smiling, she rammed a kunai into it, causing it to pop loudly.

"You're sick, you know that!" Naruto made a face and pointed at the jounin.

"You're just catching on, now?" Anko licked her lips.

"What were you two doing out there all that time?" Neji trusted Naruto, but he still felt compelled to stand up for his cousin's honor. His eyes went wide when Ten Ten grasped his arm, pressed herself against him, and nodded her head in agreement.

"We… we were talking…." This time. Hinata's timidity was an act.

"That's right. Just talking. As if that is any of your business!" Naruto came close to overdoing it. He forced himself to turn things down a notch.

"We weren't… we weren't staying out there because we were scared.…." Hinata brought her hand to her mouth. That gesture wasn't part of her act. She had to hide a grin.

"Yeh. We're not afraid to do the Seven Minutes in Heaven thing." Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "I bet you all thought we were going to chicken out."

"I had _hoped _that Hinata would change her mind," Kurenai said under her breath. Ino, Ten Ten, and Sakura did much the same thing.

"This could be good." Jiraiya felt like a pig in shit. This might very well be the high point of the evening. He hadn't gone to spy on the two of them earlier, not wanting to risk detection. But this! This was more than he ever had a right to pray for. He had put in the Truth and Dares option, along with the part about disrobing. No one followed up on those the way that he had hoped. It didn't matter. Not any more. Chuckling, he got up, yawned, and moved over to a new vantage point. He was very glad that he had thought to put peep holes in the various closets and enclosures.

"Let's go, Naruto-kun." Hinata's saying that was part of the plan. He had gone over things with her in great detail, saying that things had to go a certain way for the trick to work. It would be very hard for her, he knew. But, he had put his faith in her, so there was no way that she could back down. Besides, she had blushed until she couldn't possibly blush any more, back when he had been describing all the things he had seen, heard, and read about when he was training with the Frog Hermit. "You've been putting things off long enough." It actually made her feel empowered for a moment, pretending to be more forward than she could ever really be.

"Sure. Fine. Keep your pants on," Naruto kept from grinning. He had always been annoyed when he was faced with all of the erotic nonsense the perverted old Sannin dealt with. But, it would come in very handy now! "At least for now…."

"_What_ did he say?" The sound was that of Ino's jaw hitting the floor.

"No… what did _she _say…." Kiba couldn't believe that it was Hinata who was prompting things.

"It… it has to be some kind of joke…." Sakura looked worried. "They'll go in there… get us all excited… have a quick kiss… and then jump out to catch us thinking something different…."

"Exactly," Kurenai said, feeling her pulse. "I can't imagine Hinata doing anything else."

"Even if she _is _drunk," Anko put in helpfully. "And the boy _is_ the apple of her eye." She smiled, seeing Kurenai's face cloud over. "It's not like a girl might _ever_ do just about anything to catch a boy's attention." It took ever bit of strength she had not to hold her sides and burst out laughing. "And you all know Naruto. He would _never_ do anything that gave himself bragging rights with the other boys. Even if it _was_ with a girl who might let him do anything he wanted, because she was too afraid to tell him to stop."

"I agree with Kureani," Shikamaru said. He frowned when Anko gave him the finger. Was _that_ any way to set an example? "This is all too troublesome as it is." The jounin couldn't possibly be right, _could_ she?

"Don't bother keeping track of the time," Naruto said, just as he was about the close the door of the closet he and Hinata had entered. "We'll come out when we're through." That ought to get them worried some. "Oh… just in case… no peaking…." He worked his jutsu. A group of clones appeared, all of them holding a handful of shuriken. They moved to form a semi-circular barrier around the door.

"N-N-Neji." Hinata called out next. "P-… P-… Please don't tell my father." Where had that come from? "Or Hanabi." She smiled when Naruto whispered his approval at her improvisation. This was fun, doing something with Naruto.

"She… she couldn't _really_…." Neji suddenly didn't feel so certain about the situation. Looking at his friends, he could tell that they had some small doubts as well.

Inside the closet, Naruto and Hinata took stock of their new surroundings. It was dusty, and there was junk inside. But, that didn't matter. It was a stage of sorts, and they were about to put on the play of the century! Still, it was best to make sure there was nothing that might injure either of them, like broken glass on the floor, or nails on the walls.

"What's this hole here?" Hinata asked that, when her finger found a space in the outside wall. Not knowing that she did so, she had poked a peeping Jiriaya in the eye.

"Hinata!"Naruto took advantage of the perfect set-up, even as he looked for something to plug the hole. Taking some rubbish in hand, he proceeded to do so while adding fuel to the fire. "There's no reason to rush. You shouldn't touch that _yet!"_

"Wh-… Wh-… _What?" _Sakura looked like she was about to keel over.

"There are numerous orifices in the human body," Sai said, thinking back to his lectures. "For example, there is…." Sakura's punch sent him cart wheeling.

"Do you think we should…." Shizune looked rather concerned.

"No," Kurenai said. She was gnawing on one of her fingernails. "This is none of our business." She stopped, tasting blood. "Like we all agreed, nothing untoward will happen." She sounded calm and cool. That was all show. She didn't want to contemplate what might happen if rumors reached certain members of the Hyuuga clan.

"You have two nasty holes, too." Naruto had switched his attention to another outside wall, just past the corner of the room. He had found two more of Jiraiya's spy holes, but didn't stop to wonder how they had gotten there. "And I have just the thing to put in them." He smiled. He wasn't actually doing anything bad. It would be their own fault, if the others have dirty minds.

"My wonderful view…." Jiriaya spoke so that only he could hear. He was still convinced that something spectacular was going to happen. But, they had blocked off his peeping spots. There was no way to make new ones without being caught! This was so unfair. But, at least he would be able to hear every gasp, grunt, and moan.

"This was unexpected," Shino said plainly. That simple quiet observation set everyone's fears rising.

"Unexpected, and unwanted!" Kiba growled. He wasn't worrying about Hinata this time. Back in the chuunin exams, Naruto had beat him with a lucky trick. Now, despite all of his bragging and talking about mature subjects, he worried that Naruto would defeat him in the race to reach manhood. Focusing on that possibility, he forgot to even wonder if it still might be a deception.

"Yes… unwanted…." Choji held his bag up with one hand and poured its contents into his mouth. The other hand pinched his nose shut, as he pictured a couple of racy possibilities. Promptly, he began to fantasize about being shut away in a closet with Ino. "Terrible… oh so terrible…."

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked Hinata quietly. "I think it's great, you're going along with it all." In the dark, smelling her scent, the two of them so close, he found himself wondering what it might be like to kiss her again. He shook away that thought.

"I'm… I'm ready, Naruto-kun." Hinata had said that loudly, knowing it could be used as part of the game. But, those words had her fantasizing, herself. No. That was wrong. She was a good girl. She shouldn't ever have thoughts like that! Right?

"Hey! Slow down, Hinata. You don't want to rip your clothes." Naruto began feeling sweaty, even though it was just a game. He couldn't help imagine what Hinata might look like under those clothes. No. Wait. Hold on. That was not the kind of thing he should be thinking, not about a nice girl like her!

"I'm sorry," Hinata said, in a good mockery of her usual plaintive voice. "But… but… but I just can't wait…." She swallowed hard when Naruto accidentally brushed against her.

"It sounds like things are heating up," Yugao observed. She thought back to her own first times, with everything from kissing on up. She watched Kurenai, to see what the other woman might do. After all, she was Hinata's mentor, and very protective of her.

"Maybe we _should_ pay strict attention to the time," Kurenai offered, her voice cracking. "This is not just about two people. It's a mission for all of us. We are shirking our duty. By my count, it's been three minutes already."

"Give it a rest," Anko said with a jaunty flip of her hand. "Let the kids enjoy themselves." She looked around the room. "Besides. It sets the bar high. That will give me something to shoot for, the next time the bottle points to me." Hah! That ought to get the boys all tied up in knots.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stood up, arms cocked and eyes flaming. "But… Gai-sensai says that virginity is one of the true treasures of the Leaf… something that should be cherished and protected."

"He would," Anko said, snorting. "He probably never had a date!" That left Lee sputtering.

"It sounds like things are getting good," Naruto said. "That means it's time to make things worse!" He swallowed hard. He had always wondered why Ero-Sennin had made such a big deal about women, and why he had always been eager to throw money around. Now, he began to see things from a different angle. "You know what to say after I do my part, right?"

Hinata nodded. She knew what she had to do. But, this would be the hardest part yet.

"Oh! Sorry! I'm new at this. _That's_ the part that gets rubbed, right?" After saying that, Naruto heard a number of bottles drop and break. "Which way should I do it? Left? Right? Or in circles?" More breaking glass.

"_Oooh_… ummm… _ahhh_…." Hinata felt embarrassed, making those noises. But, she couldn't quit now. Beginning to waver, she shook her head and told herself that it was her Ninja Way. "It doesn't matter. It all feels good. Just don't stop… _oooh_…."

"I should put an end to this," Neji said, standing. "Before things go too far. Hinata shouldn't do anything she might regret for the rest of her life."

"That's right." Ten Ten got up with him. They weren't alone.

"Let's throw more blood to the sharks," Naruto said. He created a _Sexy No Jutsu _type of clone, this one scantily clad instead of naked. Jiraiya had insisted that he create many different types of girls, and that experience was paying off. Holding out his hand, he took the bra and panties that the clone removed. Opening the door, he tossed them out. He instructed one of his shadow clones to twirl the brassiere on its finger. He had another put the panties on its head like a cap.

"**NARUTO!" **That was Sakura shouting. Heavy footsteps headed their way. It was obviously a crowd, not one person.

"We're running out of time," Naruto said, unable to restrain the excitement he felt, knowing that he and Hinata would soon catch them all with egg on their faces. "The Bunshin won't be able to hold them off for long. Time to jump ahead to the… you know…."

"OK," Hinata said. The act was almost over. It had almost been more than she could take. 'Take'. Yes, _that_ was the word she needed. "It… it all feels so _goooo-ooo-oo-d. _Take me. Take me now!" She came very close to fainting, after saying all that.

"Kaiten!" Neji's curt shout was followed by the sound of exploding shadow clones. The door rattled loudly on its hinges, as the force of the Heavenly Spin threatened to tear it free.

"**_AHHHH-HHH-HH-H_**…." Lee jumped at the door, leg extended. "**DYNAMIC ATTACK!"**

The door cracked in half. Slivers of wood flew everywhere. Sakura had connected with a forceful punch at the same time that Lee's kick hit home. Not only did the door break, but the entire front of the closet collapsed. Everyone tried to push his or way to the front, to see if Hinata was alright, to be first to get on Naruto's case, or just because. They were all surprised to find that things weren't what they had feared.

"Hah!" Naruto gave everyone a 'V' sign, sitting on the floor covered with wood pulp and plaster.

"Gotcha," Hinata said. That was part of the script, too. But, she could say this part and feel good.

"Son of a bitch!" Kiba didn't know whether to be pissed, or thoroughly impressed. That had been a major league burn. No, that had been one of legendary proportions!

"Ah well." Jiraiya shook his head. He had been getting rather hot, picturing things in his head. "At least it will make for good writing." There was no doubting it now. His plan had been a masterstroke, even better than Naruto's and Hinata's.

Kurenai and Shikamaru looked at each other, hung their heads, and sighed. "That was just too bothersome." That time, it had been the kunoichi saying that.

"We work good together, _don't_ we Hinata?" Naruto helped Hinata up. Saying that, he looked at her closer. He wasn't interested by the fact that she was dripping dust, wood screws, and sealing tar. It had been fun doing that with her. He couldn't help but wonder if it might be fun to do other things together.

"Ummm… yes." Hinata nodded. There was a surge of hope inside her. This might bode well for her future.

"Yeh… and guys… doesn't she moan really well?" Naruto had to sneak that one in there. One final shot to get them all!

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata blushed. But, she didn't fold up like a flower in reverse this time. A small spark inside her had been lit. "_Shhhh-hhh-hh-h_." She put a finger to her mouth. "Shush!"

Any number of onlookers had been very close to thrashing Naruto. They all stopped and stared, witnessing that. But, no one was as shocked as Naruto.

"Did you see that?" Ino smiled.

"Yes," Ten Ten replied. "She shushed him. Hinata actually shushed him." That had everyone else joining in.

"Ummm…." Hinata rubbed her fingertips together again. She hoped that she hadn't gone too far. Looking up at Naruto, she was surprised to see that he had a big grin on.

"Way to go, Hinata!" he gave her a thumbs up.

After that, the night seemed to zoom past. Hinata made it a point to change her seat. She moved next to Naruto. He didn't show any signs of enthusiasm, but he also didn't move away. Sakura moved close to him on the other side, closer than she had been before. When Sai asked the reason why, he went tumbling again.

Daylight found them all still awake. Having finished off a bottle of Sake he had hidden from the rest of them, Naruto had gotten up and started doing imitations of everyone. One imitation in particular had Kiba laughing his ass off. Even Ino couldn't hide her smile.

"Well, I hope you all had a wonderful mission…" The boy in orange had found an old mop with yellow rope, and was using it as a fake blonde wig. He had also removed two melons from the supply crate, and had them high up under the front of his shirt. "…Even though I must be going a bit senile to give you those kind of orders." He posed like one of the girls from his harem technique. "You see… the jutsu can only keep my body young…." He let the melons fall down to the level of his navel. "Hah! This is how Old Lady Tsunade would look without that rejuvenation thing! Big… time… sag!"

Everyone went quiet. Naruto frowned, thinking that they shouldn't be shocked, not after everything els_e_ that had happened. "Hey! It was funny!" Unlike the others, he was faced away from the door. "You should be laughing!"

"Sorry to disappoint you." The speaker was all too familiar. The reason for everyone's reaction was now clear. It might well be painfully clear before in a mere matter of moments.

The voice belonged to the Hokage.


	6. Chapter 6

They could all have heard a pin drop.

Everyone in the room waited with baited breath, to see what was going to happen. Some waited with a sense of dread, while others waited with a sense of anticipation.

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto swallowed hard. Turning, he caught sight of an expression he knew all too well. His first instinct was to laugh his way out of it. "Hey! It was a long night. We were all just having a little fun." That didn't work. The Hokage was tapping her toes now. It was not a happy rhythm.

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata sounded worried. She wasn't the only one.

Next on Naruto's list? An all out attack, turning things around. "It's not as if anything I said wasn't true. And, you should _knock_ before you come in!" Sure. Like that was going to work! Even Naruto cringed hearing his own words. He blinked rapidly, seeing the vein pulsate on the Sannin's forehead.

"I repeat what I said before," Anko said with a grin. "The boy's not smart enough to be Hokage."

"It wouldn't matter if he _was," _Shikamaru said, making a face. After Tsunade made short work of Naruto, she would find someone else to dress down. Naturally, as titular leader, he would be next in the queue. Great. "He probably won't live that long."

"Tell me about it." Sakura lowered her head after catching Tsunade's glance. It wasn't fair! She was certain that her teacher was saying 'You should have done a better job of keeping him in line.' That wasn't fair. No one could do _that!_

Naruto resorted to his old standby position. Acceptance. He was too exhausted to go through the remaining intervening stages. "OK. I know." He held up one finger. At least, as numb as he was from a lack of sleep, he wouldn't feel any pain if she resorted to a physical means of punishment. Without thinking, he put a hand on his necklace.

"We'll talk about that later." Tsunade looked around the room, almost as if she thought something was amiss. One eyebrow rose when she caught sight of the bottles littering the floor. There was a fair number. That wasn't what she had been searching for. There were no signs to suggest that there had been an enemy attack. "Right now, I'm wondering why I arrived and didn't see a single net set up." She looked over at Shikamaru. This wasn't like him. "And, after they had a restful night , I expected to see a group of shinobi down at the swimming creek, splashing and having fun." She looked over at Kurenai, and then sought out Shizune. They didn't say anything. "There should at least be breakfast cooking outside over a fire."

"Some of us were hung over, Ma'am." Shikamaru made a subtle gesture with his hand, claiming that he was not one of those who drank too much. "The others are simply worn out." He stood as straight as he could. "We followed your instructions to the letter, right up until morning light. I guess we lost track of the time after that."

"I don't understand." The Hokage frowned. "If you had followed my instructions, you would have set up the athletic equipment. Tables would have been taken out of storage, and would be ready for picnicking. The buildings would have a fresh new coat of paint. Brush would have been cleared away, gardens would be dug, and flower seeds planted." That explained the items in the carry-boxes that no one could figure out. "I find myself totally at a loss. At a loss, and _very_ disappointed." If she found out that they had all been training instead of relaxing and getting chores done, there would be Hell to pay!

"Shikamaru is correct," Kurenai claimed, wondering just what was going on. Somehow, wires had gotten crossed. She began to smell a rat.

"That's right," Shizune hastened to add. She knew all too well what could happen, if Tsunade got into one of 'those' moods.

"I read the orders as well," Yugao said.

"I bet Naruto had something to do with this." Kiba looked over at his friend. If this was Naruto's doing, the boy had more balls than he ever gave him credit for. He would say something very nice at his funeral!

"You know, it _does_ sound like something he might think up." Choji didn't look like he was disappointed to learn that. In fact, he owed Naruto a great deal, if this was indeed his doing. He had kissed Ino. What's more, he had laughed more than he had in a long time, watching everyone's antics.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stood up and posed. He yawned deep and long, mid stance. "Naruto is very honorable. He would never do that." He looked over at his yellow-haired friend. "_Would_ you?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, everyone." Naruto put his hands behind his back, made a sour face, and then stuck out his lower lip. "Wonderful bunch of friends I have."

"I…_ I_ don't think you did it, Naruto-kun…." Hinata felt compelled to stand up for Naruto. After coming to his defense, she suddenly felt very worried. Would someone mention the prior night's activities? Specifically, would they say anything about her charade with Naruto? Even though it was all an act, she didn't want to think what might happen if her father got wind of it.

"Did _what?" _Tsunade's voice had an artic chill about it. "If you weren't doing the things that I outlined on the scroll, exactly what _were_ you doing?"

"Spin The Bottle," Sai answered matter-of-factly.

"**_What!" _**Tsunade was obviously taken aback by that pronouncement. While she had no reason to doubt the boy, especially since no one had spoken up yet to contradict him, she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She narrowed her eyes, catching sight of something. "Sai. Your sketch pad. Let me see it." The boy loved to draw. And, he had a habit of sketching things around him, things that caught his imagination or made an indelible impact.

"Uh oh." Sakura blanched. She had torn out certain pictures, but forgot about checking the book after things started getting particularly hectic. It didn't help that her kiss with Lee seemed to short-circuit parts of her brain for a while.

"This might prove interesting," Shino said. He pulled his cowl tighter around him. Despite wearing his usual dark glasses, there was enough light to hurt his eyes. The perils of too much Sake.

"'Interesting' is _not _always a good thing," Neji said sagely.

"Well then, let's see what we have in here." Tsunade began turning pages in Sai's book. She shook her head in amazement for a moment. The boy was far too talent to spend life as a ninja. "A sketch of Shikamaru reading the scroll. It looks like he's swallowed something more sour than usual." That had Ino looking at the disgruntled boy and smiling. "Here's one of Sakura and Ino unpacking boxes. They're both smiling. It's good to see they are getting along so well." Neither girl decided to speak up. "These cameos are very good. It's a page featuring Lee. Posing. Doing push-ups. Spinning a bottle."

"Hah! That's not all!" Naruto had walked over to look at the artwork. "Half the page is taken up by a pair of bushy eyebrows!" He laughed, pointing at Sai. "You should have drawn them to scale. They're too small."

"I think someone has drawn more than enough attention to himself, don't you?"Tsunade's voice was deceptively calm. Naruto knew all too well not to take even the smallest shred of comfort from that.

"Now you can see what we had to put up with," Sakura said, sounding like a long-suffering housewife.

"I see," the Hokage said. "_Hmmm-mm-m_… it seems like there is a page dedicated to you, Sakura. There's a very nice composition of you in profile. You did a great job of capturing her smile, Sai." She looked at Sakura out of the corner of her eye. The girl was smiling. Now. "There's also a picture of you punching Naruto, and a self-portrait with Sai being strangled by a girl who looks remarkably like you… except for the demonic face…." She couldn't be too harsh on the girl, not when she had a rather famous temper herself.

"Sai is very good at recreating his subject matter," Ino said with a big grin.

"It's not that… you see… I couldn't help…." Sakura ran down. Nothing she said would matter, anyway. She had to fight to keep from giving Sai a rather nasty look. "Ino pig," she muttered, too softly to be heard.

"Sai," Tsunade said. "However gifted you might be, we need to have a talk about your choice of topics." She tapped her finger on one particular drawing. The sketch showing Yugao pulling down on Naruto's drawers leaving him bare-assed. "I hope that this picture isn't indication of the types of thing that went on." She looked over at the purple-haired jounin.

"Oh. Yeh. That." Kiba laughed, having walked over himself. "That was an accident. No one would have suffered through that on purpose!" He pantomimed someone yanking Naruto's pants down.

"You can say _that_ again," Ten Ten said.

"It seems that a number of people are too nosy for their own good," Tsunade said, giving Kiba a very pointed look. She sighed. Maybe Shikamaru and Kurenai deserved commendations, after dealing with this group. "Where _was_ I? Oh. Here's a drawing of a kiss between Lee and Hinata. It looks like they were in a hurry to finish. _Mmmm_. This one is sure different. Choji and Ino."

"Sai, can I have a copy." Choji dropped his bag of morning snacks when Ino glowered at him. "I was just asking." He would have asked earlier, but Ino had ripped up the first picture. Sai must have sketched another one from memory. Well, if he did it once, why couldn't he do it again? He would even buy the other boy dinner!

"**_Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stared at Sakura. Seated, he still looked like he was trying for a manly pose. "To have a picture of the woman you love." He sighed when Sakura purposely looked in a different direction. He would still ask Sai if he might draw a sketch of him and the pink-haired girl. Not for his wall. He wanted to show it to Gai. His sensei would be so proud.

"Here's a very nice frontal of Ino," Tsunade remarked, staring at a remarkably detailed sketch. "There's one thing I don't understand. Why is there a very large arrow pointing at her backside?" She looked around the room. No one ventured an answer. She wouldn't push things. Chalk it up as a mystery. "This one is interesting. It seems you were very popular, Yugao." She held up the picture for the ANBU member to see. It showed one sketch of Akamaru licking her uncovered face, and an unfinished one of Kiba kissing her on her mask."

"You don't know _how_ popular," Naruto said with a big grin." He grimaced when Sakura elbowed him in the belly as the Hokage was preoccupied with turning the next page. Looking over at Yugao, he froze. She had that animal mask back on. It was pointed straight at him!

"This one could easily hang in a museum." Tsunade wondered how Sai could create this artwork so quickly. She passed the book around. She had been talking about a rendition of Shino's face, made up of countless outlines of bugs of different size and shape.

"Commendable," Shino remarked. "He obviously has a true respect for Nature." He was simply glad not to have been left out.

"This must have been done _after_ Sai hit the sauce," Kiba said, immediately wishing he had kept his mouth shut when the Hokage looked up angrily.

"Kiba… shush…." Hinata said without thinking. She was getting good at that. But, the only person she ever really wanted to shush was Naruto.

"Is there some story behind that?" Tsunade had noted the way that everyone had looked at the usually timid girl and smiled. She became particularly intrigued when everyone's face went blank after she asked that question. "OK. Forget about it. Next." She flipped through some pages, most showing different pairs kissing. She stopped, eyes narrowing. "I don't think I want to know the story behind _this _one." She turned the pad around. This one was done in charcoal, not ink. It showed Naruto pulling up on Anko's underwear, with her not wearing any pants. Looking over at Anko, she saw that the younger woman had not yet bothered to put her missing apparel back on.

"They were rather confining," Anko said, correctly discerning the Hokage's thoughts.

"Hah!" Kiba grinned. "She means it hurts to wear them. That was no surprise, after the greeting she got from Naruto on her arrival." He didn't flinch when Anko turned to look daggers at him. But, Akamaru got down on his belly and crawled behind him.

Tsunade closed her eyes. "Shizune… do I want to know?" It really wasn't a matter of wanting. If something dramatic had happened, she better find out, just in case she had to take certain steps. It might be necessary for her to make Anko swear not to take revenge. "No… let me rephrase that… do I _need _to know…."

"One Thousand Years of Pain," Shizune said. She had to fight to keep from smiling. Tsunade was looking right at her. And, it wouldn't do her any good to get on Anko's shit list. Then again, most likely, the only people that weren't on that list were the people the frightful woman hadn't met yet.

"It looks like someone was very busy." Tsunade's gaze would have humbled most shinobi, or pierced them the way a pin pierces a butterfly on a board. Not Naruto. He just sat there grinning, one hand behind his head.

"You don't know the half of it." Shikamaru looked dyspeptic again. He didn't much like being team leader. Everyone knew that. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. He put a hand to his forehead. It was painful to think of Naruto some day leading a mission.

"We all responded as if it was a true attack," Sakura interjected. This time, she felt compelled to stand up for her teammate. Fair's fair. "The jounin came in quickly, without warning. It served as a good exercise."

"I see." Tsunade made one of her pensive faces. It might be wise to close the book, hand it back to Sai, and get down to the business of the written orders. No. The saying was true. A picture _does _tell a thousand words. As a woman who had to stay above gossip, she found herself wanting to know what had happened amongst this interesting and somewhat combustible group of youths. As a Hokage, she had an obligation to the Hidden Leaf village. These young men and women would be central to its future. "Do I dare go on?" She rested her chin on her hand when Shizune and Sakura remained silent. Finally, she shrugged, and began selecting pages at random. Most were rather tame.

"Please stop…." Hinata whispered those words with all her heart. With every moment that passed, she felt a growing tension. She hadn't realized that Sai had been busy sketching things all night long. Rubbing her fingertips together, she prayed, hoping there were no drawings of a particular memorable event. "Oh… I shouldn't worry…." She let out a sigh of relief. What was there that he could sketch, any way? A closed closet door? A wall of Narutos? The two of them sitting in a closet, victorious?

"I never knew that you bit your fingernails." Tsunade looked over at Kurenai. That had a number of people going stiff, but the Hokage didn't notice. "And I never knew _you_ were such a player." That was directed towards Neji as a joke. The picture she showed him had him holding up four cards. One was blank. The others held the likenesses of Yugao, Kurenai, and Shizune. She didn't say anything to Anko when she came across a sketch of her as a snake. She also didn't mention Choji's name when she examined a picture of the rotund boy as a turnip. "It looks like you did a lot of writing too, Sai." She frowned, seeing that much of it seemed to be an account of the life and times of a certain miscreant. That frown deepened when she flipped to an earlier page that she had skipped.

"Is there a problem?" Sai smiled that strange and characteristic smile of his. "Did I do something wrong?" He wasn't worried about getting in trouble. For someone like him, everything was a learning experience.

The Hokage didn't answer that question directly, since it was hard to judge when the boy was truly naïve and innocent, and when he might use a semblance of those as a feint or deception. Instead, she simply read aloud what he had scribbled down on the page. "Five Knuckle Shuffle… Keeping Your Sausage Hostage… Left Hand Lift Off… need I go on?" She looked over at Kiba. She had little doubt where those colorful euphemisms must have come from.

"Boys will be boys, Tsunade." Once again, Shizune tried to act as a buffer and a voice of reason.

"And girls will be girls," Tsunade said. Thinking back to her own youth, she had to admit that she hadn't always been prim and proper all the time. Her eyes went very wide for a moment. She asked herself what it might have been like to be tricked into a kissing game with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. She shivered. "I guess nothing in here has been all that bothersome." She nodded to Shikamaru after using that word. On impulse, she decided to turn one last page. The color drained from her face.

"You don't think…." Ino looked over at Sai.

"Sai wouldn't have drawn _that_… would he…." Choji though back to one particularly vivid image.

"It is good that we have three medical ninjas in the room," Shino remarked, thinking what the others thought.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade spoke that name as if she were reading off of a writ of execution. "Would you like to tell me about _this?" _She turned the sketch book around. Sai had indeed drawn a picture related to the closet caper.

"Do I have a choice?" Naruto winced when the Hokage lashed out with one hand and punched a three foot hole in the wall. "Well… it's really quite obvious…." He cleared his throat. "These are shadow clones of me. And, in the back, sitting on the floor, that's Hinata."

"Go on." Tsunade said. "You left out the interesting details."

"Hey! You're a woman. You know what they are." Naruto flinched. Wrong answer. There was now a second hole in the wall, twice the size of the first. He was about to ask 'Who's going to fix those,' but finally showed some discretion. "OK. Alright. The one clone is swinging a bra. Another is wearing panties as a hat. Is that good enough?" From force of habit, he stuck out his jaw and placed his hands on his hips. It was a miracle that he had lived as long as he had.

"Yes. It's just wonderful." Tsunade formed one hand into a fist and rubbed it in the palm of the other. "You… a girl's undergarments… and Hinata…."

It had been a long time coming. The trip couldn't possibly have been complete without it. Without saying a word, Hyuuga Hinata fainted.

"It's _not_ what you think," Kurenai rushed to say. She was kneeling beside Hinata, fanning air on the unconscious girl. Seeing the Hokage make a familiar gesture, she launched into a detailed description of the whole subterfuge. It had her blushing, and not because of the acts that Naruto and Hinata pretended to perform. Hearing the story that way, it made the rest of them look like gullible nincompoops.

"I see," Tsunade said, making a steeple of her hands. "We have four experienced jounin in the group…." She looked at each woman in question. "We have another jounin, one of the two geniuses present…." She eyed Neji and then glanced at Shikamaru. "And we have a number of promising young shinobi, trained to see through tricks and illusions." The way she said all that had everyone feeling a bit sheepish, if not downright ashamed. All except one.

"Hah!" Naruto hooked a thumb in each armpit. "Great, huh?" He stood tall, a look of pride on his face. That had everyone but the Hokage and Hinata hanging their heads and sighing.

"I don't know what to do with you." Tsunade shook her head. She had begun to have high hopes for Naruto, especially after the way he had acquitted himself with Akatsuki recently. She stared at him, but he refused to back down. That indemonstrable spirit of his was definitely a blessing and a curse. But, truth be told, would she _really _want him to be any different, despite all the trouble she caused? Hearing the story, Dan would no doubt have smiled, and Nawaki probably would have laughed outright. Still, it didn't do him or the village any good to encourage excessive behavior. "I wonder if you will still think it was great, after I have you knock on Hyuuga Hiashi's door… introduce yourself to him… and then repeat everything that Kurenai just told me."

"That…." Hinata had just regained her senses. Hearing what the Hokage said, she passed out again.

Neji's eyes went wide. He sat very still, like a statue carved of stone. He could imagine all too easily what might happen to Hinata if the Hokage followed through on that threat.

"Old Lady… Old Lady… you wouldn't really do that!" Naruto looked very worried. All of his bluster had evaporated in an instant. He wouldn't put anything past Tsunade when she was really steamed; but, this was too much. "It's not fair. Hinata didn't really do anything wrong. You should just punish me!"

"If you insist." Tsunade had to cough to keep from smiling. Naruto certainly had a big heart. Her always stood up for what he thought was right, and never failed to come to the aid of a friend. "We'll get to that later." She still had to think up an appropriate means of chastisement. "Now… about those orders… let me see them."

"Here." Shikamaru handed over the message tube.

"Tsunade…." Kurenai spoke up while the Hokage took out the pages of parchment and began perusing them. "If I may ask… what are you doing here…." It was very unusual, having the village leader leave the safety of that well-guarded site.

"_Hmmm_… what…." Tsunade looked up from the papers. "Oh. _That. _Well, when I explained the mission to the town Elders, they insisted that I come join you." She made a face, clearly showing what she thought of that idea. They had insisted that she had been working way too hard, and that everyone needed a break now and then. It had been easier giving in than putting up a fight. "It's probably a good thing that they did." She sighed. "I should have known that the original plan was too good to be true."

"Ma'am?" Sakura looked over at her mentor.

"Jiraiya came up with the idea of sending the group of you away for some R&R. He said that the bunch of you never had much chance for social bonding any more, and I agreed." The Hokage turned page after page. The writing certainly looked to be in her hand. No wonder they had been fooled, despite the stark illogic of the orders. They still could have sent a runner back to town if they had sufficient doubt; but, that was something that was very rarely done, since it was very difficult to corrupt Konoha's messages or messengers.

"Ero-Sennin?" Naruto rubbed his chin. "_He_ suggested we come out here?" Somehow, that didn't sound like the old pervert, sending them off to clean up the old camp and play group sports. Now… Spin the Bottle… _that_ sounded just like his speed. He snapped his fingers. "And _you_ listened to him?"

"I…." The truth came crashing down on Tsunade. She closed her eyes, waiting for Naruto's inevitable follow-up. She would deserve it, whatever it was.

"Hah!" Naruto pointed at Tsunade, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Who's stupid, now!" That was not exactly the cleverest things to say.

"Do we _really _need to answer that?" Sai asked.

"No," Sakura said with a sigh, "No we don't."

"Do we _ever?" _Shikamaru looked out through a window. The clouds were out in force today. How he wished he could be laying on his back on a grassy slope, watching them.

"Yugao." Tsunade spoke in a very harsh voice. That had some people wondering if she was going to have the jounin lesson Naruto. "If I know Jiraiya… and I wish that I _didn't_… it would be very much like him to have been here the entire time." She scowled. That man! If he could even be called a man! "I brought two ANBU squads as guards and escorts. Join them and search for any sign of him. If we're lucky, we will come across his trail before he gets too far away." He would be a slippery fish to hook. But, they would get him. Sooner or later, they would get him. "Anko… Kurenai… Shizune… you join her as well." She watched as they all dutifully flashed from view.

"**_Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee stood straight, fists clenched at his sides, a look of zeal about him. "What about us, Ma'am? Should we search, too?"

"No," Tsunade replied. "You have other work to do." She looked about the room. Everyone looked somewhat haggard. Too bad. "I hope you all have as much energy as Lee." It still amazed her, how well the boy had rebounded from the injuries suffered at Gaara's hands. It also never failed to make her pause, seeing how much of a carbon copy of Gai he was.

"Of course," Shikamaru grumped. There were so many things to build, clean, and set-up, just so they could relax. Female logic never failed to leave him frowning.

As it would turn out, they would all be able to wait for a short while. The scout teams did not have to search too far to find the Frog Hermit. The Legendary Sannin had made a number of errors. First, he had gulped down far too much Sake. Second, he had gotten way too comfortable. Third, he had failed to expect the unexpected. Never in a million years would he have expected Tsunade to show up here. He had been content to fall asleep high up in the crook of the plateau's largest tree.

"He's up there, Ma'am." A young man wearing a bird mask pointed out Jiraiya's location. "He's snoring."

"Is he, now? It must be wonderful to have a clean conscience." Tsunade laced her fingers and cracked her knuckles. It made an ominous sound. "Tell the others to spread out around the periphery. Use whatever force is necessary to stop him without leaving him dead." Her smile would have caused even Orochimaru to take a step back. "That's _my_ job."

As the ANBU members sped across the open ground, Tsunade walked over to the tree, aware that she had an audience. Naruto and the others had all come outside. She raised a single finger, and paused for effect."

"Watch this." Naruto watched intently. This was nothing new. But, this time, he wouldn't be on the other end of things. He almost jumped. He hadn't realized that Hinata had come over to stand close to him.

Concentrating, the Hokage brought her finger to the ground as she performed _Isshi Resshin_, the one-fingered Earthquake technique. The ground rumbled as a huge crevice appeared, heading towards the tree. The sound of snapping and splitting wood filled the air, as the crack spread upward along the towering oak, causing it to break in half and slowly fall apart.

"**Oooph!" **The Frog Hermit hit the ground hard. Groaning, he pocked himself up, taking in the surrounding environmental carnage. He held his hands up, seeing his former teammate. "Tsunade. What are you doing here?" He rubbed his nose. "I mean… how did _I_ get here…."

"You can all get to work now," the Hokage said in a deceptively calm voice. "There's a lot to get done, and you really shouldn't see this." She cracked her knuckles again. "I don't want any witnesses."

Any skirmish between two of the three Sannin was a sight to see. This was no exception, even though only one intended to do bodily harm to the other. As they began their tasks, the shinobi watched as the feuding pair passed from view, followed by numerous ANBU ninjas. They wouldn't be privileged to see the game play out, but they did see a long series of trees begin to fall over in the distance.

A good bit later, when a satisfied looking Tsunade rejoined the busy group, she pitched in to give them a hand. When everything was set-up, the mission finally began the way she had intended it to. Yes, there would was a lot of hard work yet to do; but, there would be a lot of fun too. The days passed fast after that, and the shinobi were sad when it was time to pack for home.

"**_Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Kiba smiled at his own imitation, and gave Lee a pat on the shoulder, after they had finished boxing up the last of the supplies. "I have to say, this turned out to be a pretty good trip after all."

"Yes, it did." Ino smiled, looking over at Shikamaru. He had made it a point to avoid her after playing Spin The Bottle, but that actually gave her reason to hope. If he was entirely disinterested, he would simply have ignored her.

"I have no complaints," Ten Ten said with a bounce to her step. She looked over at Neji and caught him looking at her. He quickly turned his head. That had her grinning. "How about _you_, Hinata?"

"Ummm…." She smiled, too. The look on her face said all that needed to be said. She had spent more time with Naruto, even though they had never been alone. That was enough for now.

As they prepared for their journey home, the ninja spoke quietly about their favorite moments, or privately reflected on things that had happened. Sai had asked everyone to stand together for a short while, so he could make a sketch of the entire group.

"Hah! I guess the trip _was _pretty good!" Naruto looked like the cat who had swallowed the canary. "But… do you know what the best part is…."

"You finally reached puberty?" Kiba slapped hands with Choji.

"Discovered soap and water?" Sakura pulled down on one lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue. One day prior, Naruto had stumbled on her at the bathing spring, even though the 'Girl's Only' flag had been flying. She didn't know that someone else had taken down that flag.

"Anko's behind?" Sai's sly reference to both the _Sennen Goroshi_ and the Atomic Wedgie had everyone laughing, after they checked to make sure the jounin was nowhere to be seen.

"No!" Naruto put both hands behind his head. "Old Lady Tsunade forgot all about punishing me!"

Everyone looked at one another. None of them were willing to be quite so sanguine. As it turned out, they were right. Were they ever!

"So… is everyone ready to go?" Tsunade walked up. With a wave of her hand, she sent the ANBU squads off to do what they normally did. "Is everything packed away? Fires doused? Buildings closed up properly?" Hearing nothing but affirmatives, she nodded her head. "Then, there is only one more order of business to take care of before we put foot to path."

"What is that?" Shikamaru sounded overjoyed. He shook his head morosely when Choji held out a snack bag.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade called out Naruto's name, and then swung around a sack she had been carrying. It didn't look as if it held very many items. "Front and center." She frowned, waiting. "Now!"

"Don't get your panties in a knot," Naruto grumped, pushing his way between his fellow ninjas. "I'm here."

"And just as respectful as always," Tsunade noted. "Perfect!" The boy had this coming. Sure, some might consider it cruel. She, on the other hand, thought it to be wholly justified. And, pretty clever to boot, if she did say so herself. "You have some additional preparations to make."

"Huh?" Naruto tugged at one ear. "What are you talking about?"

"Here." The Hokage upended the sack, spilling its contents to the ground at Naruto's feet. Some of the objects were familiar. "Let's see. The head of that mop. Those two melons. And… not to forget… one of the spare brassieres that I packed…."

"I still don't get it." Naruto made a face.

"Let's just say that I was very impressed by your talent for imitation," Tsunade said. "It ranks right up there with your unmatched people skills. And I don't mean the 'goodness of heart' kind of thing. I'm talking about your flare for dealing with authority figures."

"Yeh… so…." Naruto kicked at one of the melons. He knew his own limitations. He was working at it. He didn't need someone to remind him all the time, though.

"On top of all that, I just want to make certain that you learn to appreciate women… to respect their bodies…and to decide to always treat them right." She picked up the bra and spun it around, the way the clone had been doing in Sai's infamous sketch.

"But… hey… it was just a joke…." Naruto raised both hands much the way that Jiraiya had. He had caught the reference. "That part when you walked in was just joking, too…."

"I'm _still_ not laughing," the Hokage said. "You will take off your shirt. You will strap on the bra. You will fill it with your ample woman's charms. You will put your shirt back on and add the wig…." She saved the final zinger. "You will stay that way all of the way back to Konoha, until you catch sight of the city gate."

"_What?" _Naruto balled up both fists and spread his legs apart. He tipped his head slightly forward, as if her were ready to fight. "No way! You can't make me do that!" His belligerence was not particularly well received, as one might expect.

"Do… you… want… to… _bet_…." There was steel in the Hokage's voice. "I wouldn't argue, if I were you. Things could get even more realistic. I'm certain at least one of the young women must have brought lipstick… make-up… things like that…."

"This isn't fair." Naruto cursed under his breath as he began getting into his punitive garb. He only hoped that Ero-Sennin had ended up in a worse state than he was in. He was about to go off on a tirade about women, but wisely chose to hold his tongue instead.

"It's a shame _this_ young lady wasn't present for our game," Shikamaru quipped when Naruto was finished.

"A crying shame," Kiba said, before making a loud wolf whistle. He waved Akamaru away when the dog came running. "Oh my. I think I just popped a chubby."

"I may be feeling a bit of wood myself," Shino joked.

"I… I never thought… I never thought that _anyone_ could make me forget about my Sakura-chan…." Even Lee decided to get in on the fun.

"You're dead!" Naruto growled. "You're _all_ dead." He created a large number of shadow clones, each of whom looked exactly as he did now. He would abide by Tsunade's rules. It was his Ninja Way. But, someone would pay the price.

Hinata smiled, watching Naruto run after her fleeing teammates. This certainly had been a memorable outing.

**THE END**


	7. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

The sun was shrinking towards the horizon.

In the distance, the plaintive call of a killdeer grew fainter as the bird flew from earshot. The sounds of the city grew quieter too, as workers headed home and the daytime shops began to close.

For most of the denizens on the streets, the day had been nothing special, and the night would be nothing remarkable. They were not ninja. It was not their task to protect their village, their fellow men, or the way of life that they lead.

The same could not be said for everyone, of course. For the shinobi, missions did not simply end at the fall of the evening. In fact, since the cover of night could be as much a blessing as a curse, it was not odd to have groups heading out under the cover of darkness. Tonight, as it turned out, the ever fickle black of night was now their biggest foe.

"Hurry! Hinata!" Naruto sped through the people-lined avenue, dodging the populace and taking to the rooftops when necessary. "If we fall too far behind, there will be no chance to succeed!" There was a strong sense of urgency in the boy's voice.

"**Hai!" **Hinata kept pace with Naruto, running less than two feet from his side. She had been heading home from training when Naruto happened upon her, short of breath and carrying hastily scribbled mission orders.

"I can't _believe_ this," Naruto said as they flashed beneath the Great Gate of Konoha. "I wonder if that damn pervert is involved. It won't be revenge just against the Old Lady. It will hurt _all_ of us."

"Maybe the others will find the thief and set off a signal," Hinata ventured, feeling very worried. Naruto had told her that messengers had been sent out as quickly as possible, once word had been received. Their friends should be amongst the many ninjas scouring the countryside.

"I hope so!" Naruto led them into the forest. Speeding along the treetops, they would be better able to avoid detection. If the escapee had run this way, he would be caught. If he had taken to the winding road, they would be able to head him off, he told her. _If _, that is, he hadn't already handed the pilfered goods off to an accomplice. And, if he wasn't a skilled shinobi himself. "Stupid Sai! I can't believe he kept all that stuff! How could he just leave it laying around? Why did he have to go home and write down everything that happened from memory?"

"He probably didn't expect anyone to steal his things, Naruto-kun." Hinata had no difficulty keeping up with Naruto. She had come a long way since her father handed her over into Kurenai's care. Watching her companion out of the corner of one eye, she was almost happy, despite the dangers at risk. Looking for Sakura and Sai, he had stumbled upon her. She had another chance to do something with him. A common goal!

"I guess so," Naruto said. "That's one of the things I like about you, Hinata. You're very kind." After saying that, he watched as the girl lost her footing and almost plowed into the bough of a massive tree. "But I bet you won't be so forgiving if a ghostwriter and publisher get all that stuff. There will be a printed book." He leaped through the crown of leaves, wanting to take his bearing before things got too dark. "An account of our Spin The Bottle game. Probably spiced up with stuff that never happened." Running through the low light was tricky. But, they had trained for this many times. "And with pictures!"

"That…." Hinata lost her balance hearing that. She had to focus! Before she knew it, that small misstep had become magnified one hundred fold, as each subsequent stride had trouble gaining good purchase. Fearing for the worst, she felt someone grasp her hand and pull her back onto a safe arboreal trail. "Th-… Th-… Thank you… Naruto-kun." She was still distracted though. He hadn't let go of that hand.

"Hey! Sorry! I forgot to let go." Naruto released Hinata's hand. It filled him with a subtle sense of regret. Why? "We can't run as fast that way, and you can do alright on your own if you concentrate." They ran into a less dense area of the forest. He knew this area. They were on track. _"Focus, _Hinata! Keep your head in the game!"

"**Sure!" **Hinata felt more than just a twinge of regret. But, what could she expect? In the months that followed the game they were all tricked into playing, she had been lucky enough to see Naruto a number of times. However, in the times that they had run across one another, there had never been any mention of their moonlight kiss. There was never anything that served as the sign of a potential relationship.

She still had wonderful memories from that embrace, and did not want them ruined by greedy men. So many questions ran through her head, but during a headlong rush like this, there would be no time to think. How had someone known what Sai had written? Where would they take their prize? When might the book come out? What would her father do?

"You know… this might not be just about money…." Naruto made a prodigious leap, spanning a large gap between towering oaks. "It could be any enemy plot to make Granny Tsunade look bad. To make the whole Leaf look bad. If customers think _that's_ the kind of training we do, who will want to hire us?" He concentrated chakra on the soles of his feet and ran up one particularly large tree, gaining access to better pathways. "That book could go everywhere!"

"We'll stop them, Naruto-kun!" Hinata could feel her heart beating a staccato rhythm in her chest. Part of it was the exertion, of course. The erratic beat was also due to her being with a certain someone. But, most of all, it was a sense of fear and dread that was at fault. The further that book got, the more people that would read it. It would be impossible to stop circulation, once enough copies made their way onto the streets. "We… we _have_ to…." She forced herself to remain calm. She was ninja. This was a mission. They had faced greater tasks in the past. Besides, there wasn't even a book yet. If they could retrieve the pilfered notebooks, all would be back to normal.

"There's no telling what we might be up against," Naruto said, running down a tree and heading for the ground. They were coming upon an open area of the countryside. "We will have to be ready to fight, just in case there are henchmen involved, or enemy shinobi." The sun was barely peaking over the mountains. It was growing cooler already. Soon, they would be running in complete darkness. "Are you ready?"

"**Hai!" **Hinata promised to give it her all. She would fight for her honor, and for the honor of her village. She would do her very best, because her precious one ran at her side. She wondered if they were all following the same trail. More than that, she wondered how Naruto knew where to run. It didn't matter. He would know what needed to be done. She trusted him.

"We will have to react quickly, Hinata." Naruto led them along a deep and wide gully, once the bed of a large river. It would serve as a roadway, supplying all the landmarks he needed. "If we are the first ones on the scene, there will be no way to know if we are the only one who will find the place. We will need to gather information quickly. Waiting… or striking immediately… might make the difference between success and failure."

"Yes," Hinata replied. "And if our friends are already there, we will need to meet up with them for a coordinated attack." There were only two of them, but there still needed to be a team leader until they became part of a larger group. She would follow Naruto's lead without question.

They left the flat and open riverbed and headed up a slope of lose rock, dried shrubs, and shifting sand. The low growth soon gave way to scattered small trees. Not long after that, they were amongst wooded surroundings again, heading up into mountainous terrain. If it had been daylight, Hinata might have recognized where they were.

"I think I know where they're headed," Naruto said. "Crazy bastard. He _would_ choose that place for a rendezvous. Jiraiya must be involved, after all. Who else would pick _that _place?"

"Where?" Hinata was impressed with Naruto's ability to find clues at this hour. How was he doing it, with so little light? But, that wasn't the foremost question. Just where were they headed? What kind of trap might they be headed into? If they had to go up against a Legendary Sannin, could they retrieve the stolen items without a fight? Facing the Frog Hermit alone, could they hope to defeat him? "Naruto-kun…."

"No time for talk now, Hinata." Naruto was very curt in his response. "I'm sorry. I have to put all my attention towards finding our way. If I take a wrong turn, we won't make it in time!" They continued to run up a long twisting mountain trail. "We still have a good distance to go."

By the time they neared their destination, the moon was high in the sky. It was huge and luminous, much the way it had been on that me memorable night at the encampment. Hinata wanted to mention that fact to Naruto, but just couldn't bring herself to do so. Some things never change.

"We're here!" Naruto stoped at the crest of the hill to catch his breath. They had both been pushed to the fringes of their endurance. Walking slowly, he was the first to leave the path and walk along the grassy top of the plateau. "I never thought that I would be forced to come back to this stupid place."

"Naruto-kun?" As Hinata followed after Naruto, she began to make out ghostly outlines in the darkness. Buildings. Not just any buildings! Huts, supply sheds, and longhouses. "This is…." They were back at that place. Yes, there was no doubt about it. They had run to the same camp where they had played the game.

"_Shhhh-hhh-hh-h_…." Naruto created a number of clones. He was shushing them as much as he was shushing Hinata. He smiled. It was more fun shushing the girl. He owed her that. "We have to be very careful now. There could be traps. The enemy could be anywhere." There was no sign of light. There were no telltale sounds. There was no scent on the air that would give even the slightest hint of the forces they might face.

'What should we do?' Hinata tapped out that code with her finger on Naruto's wrist. 'Split up or stay together?'

'That building.' Naruto tapped in return. 'It would serve them as good as any. Better, if they see humor in the coincidence.' He was referring to the longhouse they had used during the first night of their prior trip. 'I will go in first. Cover me.'

"Naruto-kun…." Hinata mouthed that word as Naruto's shadow merged with the blackness. Straining her ears, she listened for any sign of danger, or any clue that he might need her help. It didn't take long. Suddenly, without warning, there was sound of a struggle.

"Hin…." That was all that Naruto was able to get out.

Hinata had to think quickly. What should she do? If she rushed right in after him, she might meet the same fate. But, if the unseen adversary or adversaries intended to kill their opponents, any delay might result in Naruto's death. She had to act! Now!

Swiftly, she made her way to the rear door, the one opposite to the one Naruto entered. Weapons out, she activated her Byakuugan as she entered the building. There were numerous bodies, all standing around a single form prone on the floor. She would have to….

"**S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E-!" **That concerted shout came just before the lights were turned on.

"But…." Hinata stood in utter shock. This was not what she had expected. Not at all. Reality sinking in, she knew that was exactly the way that Naruto had intended things to be.

"Hah!" Standing, a weary looking Naruto pointed at her and smiled. "Gotcha! _Gotcha, _Hinata!"

Hinata took in all the faces. Neji was there. Ten Ten, too. Ino. Shikamaru. Choji. Kiba. Shino. Sakura. Lee. Sai. In addition to her friends, there were four genin girls that she did not recognize. The significance in the numbers hadn't sunk in yet.

"You look like you just saw a ghost," Kiba said to Hinata. "Or someone pulled down Naruto's pants again."

"Just keep it up, Kiba." Naruto cracked his knuckles. _"You'll _be the one wearing the melons on the way home this time."

"Did we _have_ to bring them?" Ino looked over at Ten Ten and Sakura. "We should have brought some cute boys."

"Too late now." Sakura sighed. It was only half in jest. Lee was here again.

"You… you all knew…." Hinata's question was aimed at the other girls.

"Of course," Ten Ten said. "It was our idea."

"I'm sorry that we didn't just come out and tell you," Ino said. "Some of us thought that you might refuse…." She lowered her voice. "Even if you knew that you-know-who would be here."

"We also thought that you might enjoy a little time alone with Naruto…." Sakura made a face at Ino. What was the big deal with saying Naruto's name if they kept their voices down? "An adventure for just the two of you."

"A chance to impress him," Ten Ten said with a wink. "If you know what I mean." She smiled when she saw Hinata blush.

"Are we going to do this?" That was Shikamaru, sounding as depressed as usual. "As bothersome as it's going to be, its even more bothersome to spend all this time waiting."

"**_Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h_**…." Lee struck a pose. "The blazing comet of opportunity waits for no one. Gai-sensei says…." He was cut-off.

"Who invited _him?" _That was Sai again, practicing his humor. He smiled when everyone laughed.

"Lets' get started, then." Choji pulled a large bottle of fruit juice from his snack bag, upended it, and drained the rest of its contents in the span of a heartbeat. Finished, he put the bottle on the floor. "Who spins first?" He grinned over at Ino, who flinched and looked away.

"You have forgotten something," Neji said, turning to face his cousin. "No one has asked if Hinata wants to join in. She was tricked into coming here." He subtly nudged Naruto with his foot. Clueless as he might be at times, Naruto got the point. He should be the one to ask.

"Hey! Hinata!" Naruto walked over to stand in front of the white-eyed girl. "You want to play Spin The Bottle?"

"Ummm…." Hinata rubbed her fingers together. She had dreamed about having another chance at kissing Naruto. But, last time, she had no choice but to play, since they all thought they were under orders.

"If you remember," Shino said. "We repaired the closet before we left the last time." Everyone turned to glare at him. This was no time to make a joke like that! Like Kiba, he should know Hinata better than anyone there. No doubt she would back down now.

"I…." Hinata looked down at her feet. It was so hard, balancing desires, instincts, and the habits of years. Before, if her father had found out, she could have truthfully told him that she had played in duress, thinking it was her duty. Tonight, whatever choice she made, it would all fall on her shoulders.

"We made Sai leave his sketch pad at home," Ten Ten said.

"But…." Hinata closed her eyes, so that she couldn't see all the people crowded around her. She listened to a small voice, the one deepest inside her. Pressing her hands to her chest, she said "OK."

"Way to go Hinata!" Naruto gave the shy girl a 'V' sign.

**END**


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